I Run This Town
by eswann73
Summary: Mayor Mills doesn't quite know what to make of the new blonde upstart sheriff. Once thing is clear, however. Lessons need to be learned, pronto. Trouble is, Emma is not a very compliant student. Swan Queen Endgame.
1. Chapter 1

**I Run This Town, Chapter 1. Welcome, Sheriff.**

* * *

"Interesting jacket, Sheriff."

The brunette really had mastered the disinterested sneer, and the sidewinder glance. Emma smirked, clearly not intimidated, as she glanced at the brunette's tailored suit and pencil black skirt. Heels too high to be functional in any capacity.

Raising an eyebrow, she replied. "Thanks. I like it."

"Although…"

 _Here comes the although,_ Emma thought to herself. _There's always an "although" with chicks like this._

 _"_ …it does seem to convey less than a stellar professional image, one must think."

Emma smirked. "Eh, it's a matter of perspective," she explained, looking at the blonde. "for those 'one's' thinking things, I suppose."

"Such as?"

"I'm sorry….I didn't catch your name, again?" Emma said, deliberately.

Of course she knew who the brunette was…she was intentionally annoying her. Emma knew women like her; the self important types. Drove them crazy when people didn't appreciate their majestic selves. Emma loved needling these types of women.

"Really? You don't know who I am?"

"No. Should I? I mean, I've only been in town for a day, after all."

"Well, Sheriff, I'm your boss. Allow me to introduce myself…Mayor Regina Mills."

Emma took the offered hand, shaking it firmly.

"Well, technically, I work for the board of aldermen, not the mayor."

"A technicality only."

"I see. And why is that a technicality?"

"Because…I run this town."

She said it so matter of factly, it didn't seem as though she was boasting. She could have easily been a tour guide for the local taffy factory, relaying long forgotten facts.

"By your little ol' lonesome?" Emma said, with a grin. "Well, then, Madame Mayor…let me introduce you to fashion 101: the badassery version."

"That's not even a word."

"A mere technicality." Emma said, sarcastically.

Why are the hot ones always stupid or utter bitches? Emma thought, somewhat morosely. Out loud, she set a steely gaze on the dark-haired Mayor. "Now, pay attention. It's leather, good for avoiding road burn, if you're thrown from a moving vehicle…"

"I see."

Emma held up a scraped elbow, on her jacket.

"Water resistant, fire resistant…"

"Fire resistant? Leather is not fire-resistant, Miss Swan."

Emma turned so her posterior was exposed, showing a charred flank pocket. "This leather is." She said, deliberately. "I may have…taken a few liberties with the design."

The mayor pursed her lips, frowning.

"Lots of pockets, for holding stuff," she pulled out her sheriff's badge, handcuffs, and a dental dam, which the Mayor deliberately avoided looking at.

Emma smiled, enjoying herself.

"And of course, it's red, which looks fucking hot on me, despite the fact I'm a blonde."

"Quite sure of this, are you?"

Emma shrugged. "I dunno, I mean…it worked on you, right? You've been checking my ass out for the last, like, fifteen minutes…at least."

The Mayor got up, huffy. "Okay, I have better things to do, than this juvenile discussion. Have a good day, Miss –"

But she was cut off, by Emma pressing her against the wall, holding a small dagger to her throat. They were so close, they were practically breathing each other's breath.

"Miss Swan? What is it that you are doing, exactly?" Mayor Mills attempted to keep her voice calm, despite the fact she was being held at knifepoint.

"Demonstrating the last perk of this badass jacket: _many hidden pockets_." The blonde chucked, but not in a menacing way. She could feel the heat, radiating off the woman she was gripping with one hand and holding at knifepoint at the other. "I bet you didn't even see me pull this little baby out, did you?"

Regina gave her a defiant look, refusing to back down.

"Admit it, Madame Mayor."

The mayor huffed in annoyance. "No, I was not expecting the new law enforcement officer this town hired to pull a weapon on me, you are correct."

Emma released her from her grip, sheathing her knife back into the hidden seam. "Merely making a point, Madame Mayor."

She straightened out her red leather jacket, and stepped away from the woman pressed against the wall. Emma raised an eyebrow, not breaking eye contact, but looking startlingly at ease, despite having borderline assaulted the town's highest official, mere moments prior.

Unphased, the Mayor offered, "What...that you are the _worst hire_ this department has made in thirty years?"

Emma chuckled. "No, but good guess." She ran her hands through her wavy blonde hair, while giving Regina the up and down. "No, I was demonstrating that 'those people', you referenced? Those ones who questioned me, and my abilities?" She smiled. "Perhaps they _best not be judging_ a book by its cover, y'know?"

Released from the new sheriff's surprisingly strong grip, the Mayor inched sideways, then moved quickly towards the door. As she beelined out the door, she was halted by one last comment from the new law enforcement officer.

"Oh, and Mayor?" Emma said, calling after the retreating figure. "You may want to mention, to those ones, you know, _those ones…_.let 'em know, something..."

"Know what?" She asked, barely pausing at the door of Emma's office, turning only slightly.

"Let 'em know, for me, if you'd be so kind. Let 'em know…there's _a new Sheriff in town_."

 **TBC**


	2. Getting To Know You

**I Own This Town, Chapter 2- Getting To Know You.**

 **Disclaimers:** Oops, forgot to add this. I obviously don't own this, it is the property of the American Broadcasting Company and its subsidiaries. Cause if I did own it? HELLO. Swan Queen = Canon.

* * *

Since Emma's hire and arrival in the quaint little Maine town of Storybrooke, she had been met with almost embarrassingly open arms. Her urban legend grew in the sleepy tourist town, arising from her origins of regional war hero turned New Hampshire State Police officer to her current position as head of Storybrooke's only law enforcement office.

She practically had the job the second she applied.

Her reputation preceeded her. Emma had been dubbed by the press as Sargent "Savior" Swan, the name her troopies had inexplicably called her, for unknown reasons. She was famous from her time serving in a Marine ground infantry unit, one of the first females to do so, at the time, and the first in a hazardous duty zone. The press followed her exploits closely, as closely as the Military Press Office would let them, anyway. She was a journalists dream; photogenic and always ready with a good quip. The Navy higher ups loved it, and positioned her thusly, for several reasons. First and foremost, Swan was a "good kid." She kept her nose clean, wasn't fucking around indiscriminately, and could actually do the job. She had even managed to get a college degree during her first enlistment, in between deployments. However, it was far more likely the latter reason, as to why the press was given access, which was an undeniable fact: Emma Swan was easy on the eyes.

She made everyone look good, as a result.

As the ground conflict continued, It became evident to the public that her fellow solders loved her, respected her, and the press would later report that three of them owed their lives to her. She had always had the nickname "Savior," in her unit; no one really asked where it came from.

So it was to much consternation that she opted not to "re-up," instead joining her home state's Police Department in New Hampshire, after receiving her honorable discharge and never once looked back.

Again, she excelled, but after her commitment period ended, Emma Swan had the ability to keep observers guessing. She responded to a direct solicitation for her services, and applied to be the Sheriff of the _obscenely tiny_ coastal town of Storybrooke, Maine. A town so small it could barely be found on Google Maps.

Emma loved to keep 'em guessing. Her career decisions made perfect sense to her. However, for someone else to understand them, one would have to understand the complicated and often tragic story of who Emma Swan had been to appreciate the logic of her decisions.

It would be very unlikely that anyone would _ever_ glean that insight. Those files had been sealed, and before Emma left the NH law enforcement offices, she made sure _those_ files ...disappeared. Disappeared, just like the laughing blonde herself, as she exited the New Hampshire state border; driving at least 25 miles over the speed limit, and thinking how much she hated New Hampshire's speed trap 55 mph posted on the line.

* * *

She sensed her, even before she physically _saw_ her.

When she physically arrived into Emma's sight line, and the Sheriff saw Mayor Regina Mills, she let a low whistle of approval escape her lips.

If Sheriff Emma Swan had a type, a big neon arrow would be flashing above the sultry brunette's head, heels clicking, as she sashayed towards her desk, saying **"This."** Emma had always had a thing for ridiculously attractive brunettes, ones that simmered with danger, underneath.

Always.

It did not change the fact, however, that the woman bugged _the ever living fuck_ out of the Sheriff.

What's more, Mayor Mills knew it, and _relished_ that fact. Why she would want to antagonize a leader so vital to the successful day to day operation of her town, was beyond Emma; but she had seen this kind of workplace crap, all her life.

"Hello, Mayor." Emma sighed. "To what do I owe your happy visit?"

The brunette smirked, stopping several feet away from Emma, and quickly surveying her desk and office. "Now, now, Sheriff Swan!" She smiled, her lips covered in their perfect application of deep red lipstick, and said in a layered voice, "one might think you're less than... _happy_ , to see me…!"

Emma leaned back in her chair, and put her hands behind her head. She took the woman in, the one standing before her, for a good thirty seconds, before speaking.

"Well…." Emma mused, after her reflection.

Mayor Mills smirked.

"… _it's like this_ , see. I will n **ever** complain about entertaining hot ladies, especially ones in pencil skirts and fuck-me heels. It bears mentioning, of course, you have met that criteria…"

Emma amused herself with the shocked look, that suddenly appeared on the Mayor's face.

The sheriff continued. "…but, in my experience, your visits have decidedly not enough… _reward,_ for lack of a better term, to make them enjoyable."

Emma leaned forward, looking the mayor directly in the face. "In fact, your visits _usually_ result in some inane, made-up fucking bullshit, that you force our department to do. Subsequently, this results in the following: my staff falls into in a foul mood for the rest of the day, a fuckload of paperwork and other bullshit for me has to get done, and my deputy and I, almost universally, end up having to leave early, forced to drink, and inevitably swearing women off, altogether in a drunken stupor. "

Regina looked at her, flabbergasted.

Emma smiled, having achieved the desired effect she was going for.

"So, if you're asking me, _am I happy you're here?_ I would say yes, because against my better instincts, I do enjoy seeing you. But…no, is _also_ the answer. _No,_ because you will inevitably open your mouth, and the spell will be broken. Then, I will say, 'Oh, fuck' because I will be reminded you aren't some ridiculously hot woman, here to take me to lunch. Instead, you are that evil woman that makes me and my staff unnecessarily grouchy, all day."

"Sheriff Swan…." The Mayor began, obviously collecting her thoughts. "You…"

Emma grinned, and leaned forward, resting on her elbows, on her desk. "Yes?"

"You….your... utter _lack_ of professionalism, and your lack of any type of personal filter... frankly astounds me." The mayor said.

"Thank you." Emma grinned.

The infuriated Mayor then dropped the armful of papers she had been carrying in to Emma's office. They were the end of fiscal year budgets files, decidedly large and ornery, and the Mayor had slammed them, angrily, on the top of Emma's desk. "And these were due, today, _by the way._ "

Emma gestured towards the Mayor. "See? You make my point."

The mayor looked incredulous. "And I'm supposed to ignore the fact you haven't turned in the reports...is that what you propose?"

Emma shrugged, watching her shrug enrage the Mayor further. Emma thought gleefully about repeating it, for effect. The standing woman put her hand on her hip, the one adorned by a tailored Armani suit with pencil skirt. The Sheriff smiled to herself. Emma loved that outfit on Regina; you could not have fit it better, if you had painted it on…

"Sheriff Swan!"

The mayors' loud interruption broke her from her daydream. "What?" She answered, annoyed.

"What do you mean, **what?** What do you recommend I do, with these budgets that I have not seen come across my desk?"

Emma stood up, walking towards her red leather coat, brushing shoulders with the Mayor as she did. As she put on her jacket, the one she knew the Mayor detested, she answered.

"Well, Madame Mayor, I would recommend two things. First," Emma held up a finger, indicating the number one. "I would get my head out of my ass, and boot up my computer once in awhile."

"What?" They mayor asked, confused.

"Yes! I sent them to you, as a digitized file, through the encrypted town email, two days ago." Emma reached over, grabbing her clutch out of the desk, and pulling her Baretta 9 Mil out, turning on the safety, and putting it in her chest-holster, under her jacket.

"I…I didn't see them. No-one has ever…"

"Digitized the budget? _No shit_ , Madame Mayor! It was a bitch for me to set up, trust me! But, should make it much easier to amortize payments in future fiscal years, being able to cull the data, going forward. Shoulda been done, years ago." Emma said, smugly, as she walked towards the door. She turned, facing the mayor, and raised a second finger. "And, number two…"

"Number two?" The mayor asked briskly. She was silently contemplating how to save face, until she actually checked the little used government email server to confirm Emma wasn't lying and had actually sent the budgets.

"Yes, _number two._ The second thing, to finish your earlier line of questioning, Madame mayor, is **this:** you turn your fine ass around, walk out of my office, and get in your Mercedes, in which you will drive us to someplace very expensive to eat lunch, because you're buying. So, my recommendation for the second thing I think you should do is…make sure you have your credit card, with you, because I'm hungry."

Emma held the door open, expectantly.

She gave the dumbstruck mayor a look. "Well? Are you coming? My arm is getting' stiff, here."

Regina Mills shook her head, and walked out the Sheriff's office, a displeased scowl on her face, and a very satisfied looking blonde, following her, close behind.

 **To Be Continued...**


	3. Sheriff to the Rescue!

**Disclaimers:** Don't own this, ABC Does

 **A/N:** Thanks everyone for the reviews. I'm shocked y'all are reading, but I see others drank the SQ lemonade besides myself. That makes me all happy and squishy. Thanks. And does anyone else think Season 5 sucks besides me? *sigh* Still, the scenery is nice. (For the reviewer who wanted to binge: don't bother.)

* * *

 **I Run This Town- Chapter 3.** _Sheriff To The Rescue!_

Inexplicably, Mayor Regina Mills actually followed orders…from someone else.

Although she had already parsed it out in her mind as merely "reviewing a suggestion and taking it under advisement" as her subconscious euphuism for being bossed into taking the blonde out to eat.

Reviewed the suggestion, indeed, and taking the Sheriff's request, nay, _demand_ that she take the upstart gendarme to lunch is how Regina found herself in this predicament. Specifically, driving her Mercedes to one of the four potential lunch spots the town had to offer, with a very smug looking blond looking out the window and singing absentmindedly to whatever radio tripe she had the station on.

"Grip that steering wheel any tighter, Mayor, and you'll convert it into a diamond, I suspect." Emma chuckled.

Regina gritted her teeth. "I find myself regretting this momentary lapse of judgment already, Sheriff."

Emma laughed, a rich and throaty laugh.

"Then I'm doin' something right, I guess." The Sheriff laughed.

Much to the Mayor's horror, the blonde leaned over, and moved inappropriately closer until she was practically flush with her right ear. The Mayor pursed her lips, but to her credit, didn't move.

She also refused to look, keeping her eyes fixed on the road.

Emma husked out, "Relax, Mayor! It's just _lunch._ I just asked you for lunch, Mayor, not…."

Regina could practically feel the insolent grin developing across that infuriating blonde's face, as she finished her statement.

"… _sexual relations_."

Regina's breath hitched, and she quickly scowled. Emma moved back into her seat, and chuckled again, clearly pleased with herself.

"Welp, perhaps I'm assuming too much. You know what they say about assuming and my ass, right, Mayor? So, when I said 'your ass is taking mine to lunch,' I envisioned a sandwich, maybe a salad, you know? But…perhaps the term 'take me to lunch' has a different meaning around here? Y'know, different than what it means in New Hampshire, perhaps?"

"No." Regina said, tersely. "Same meaning."

"Hmm." Emma mused. "Pity." She added, with a wicked grin. Emma laughed again at the resultant shocked expression flashing across the Mayor's face, before she looked out the window again.

 _Honestly,_ Emma thought. _She makes it way to easy. Legit._

Then, the Sheriff's eye caught something. "Stop!" She commanded, suddenly serious.

Regina hit the break, and turned to look at the Sheriff that had already launched herself out of the car, and was sprinting down the overpass.

"Did she finally have her psychotic break?" Regina said out loud, to herself.

She pulled the car over, locked it, and walked swiftly in the direction Emma had sprinted towards. She had gone to the back lot of Marine Garage, an eyesore on its best day. As she approached closer, she could hear the anguished cries of a young girl, and the tortured wails of a young boy.

Her eyes widened, as she turned the corner.

Sheriff Swan held the body of a small boy aloft, and it looked like she had bandaged the stump of his right upper limb…but blood was seeping though.

The Sheriff was all business. "Regina!" She barked. "Go behind me and see if you can dislodge his fingers from under the axel – I was able to move it off of him, but had to bandage him so he wouldn't rebleed. Grab them and get back to the car, quick!"

She looked down to the little girl, and said, more gently, "What's your name, kid?"

"Ava." She wailed, through muffled sobs.

"Gotcha. Ava, I'm Sheriff Swan, and we've got to get your brother, here, to the hospital. Your parents around?"

"No."

Emma frowned. "Hmm. Okay, well, I can't leave you here. Wanna come to the hospital with us?" She was walking swiftly to the car, while putting pressure on the wound.

"Okay." She sniffled, hurrying to keep up with the fast pace of the Sheriff.

"What's your brothers' name, again?"

"Nicholas. I'm Ava, he's Nicholas."

"Roger that, Ava. Listen we're going to have to get him to the hospital, fast. But the best part? Not only are they going to fix him up, but Ava… They have awesome hot chocolate there."

"Really?"

"Really."

XOXXOO

Around the corner, Regina frowned at the bloody scene.

Clearly the little delinquents, unsupervised, had wandered into this this abandoned tetanus ridden junk yard and made like it was their private playground… and the heavy axel more than likely slid off the pile, and crushed his hand.

Regina went to move the metal scrap, following the trail of blood to the most probable location of the missing fingers.

She grunted in exertion.

 _Damn it, this was too heavy to lift without getting three hernias…how the hell did Swan move this?_ The mayor wondered, frowning, realizing there was no way she was moving this eyesore.

She looked around, noting the lack of witnesses, and grinned.

With a twist of her wrist, a cloud of purple smoke released, and the heavy axel magically flew threw the air, and she was able to identify what was left of the little urchin's fingers, on the cement.

 _Sheriff Do-Gooder probably wants to try to save the fingers to replant them. Good luck with that!_ She thought, cynically, looking at the mangled digits. However, a small puff of purple smoke placed them into her hand, despite her reservations, and sealed in a bag of ice, for good measure.

With a final satisfied look, she did one final flick of the wrist, arriving at her car, behind Emma and the two children.

"Ready, Sheriff?" She asked, getting her keys from her purse.

"Holy Shit!" Emma shrieked, turning around. "Uh, I mean…Happy Shoot, Mayor! Where'd you come from?"

"I was right behind you, Sheriff. You were probably distracted, tending to the boy. " She got in, turning on the engine. "Please put down some newspapers, Ms. Swan, if you don't mind…"

Emma scowled. "Could you please just get to Storybrooke General and worry about the –"

"Oh, I'll get us there." Regina grinned. "Buckle up, kids. All three of you."

Despite the severity of the situation, Ava laughed, as she looked at the Sheriff mumbling to herself, while holding her brother.

* * *

" _Damn!_ I mean...uh, Darn!" Emma looked at the boy in her arms and the girl next to her, guilty. "Wow. You got us here faster than an ambulance, Mayor!" Emma said, as she saw the first sign reading STORYBROOKE GENERAL HOSPITAL, NEXT RIGHT. "You're like a one woman life-flight! How'd you do that?" Emma hummed, puzzled.

"Well, duh, Sheriff!" Ava answered. "She's a witch!"

Regina's eyes went wide, looking at them in her rear view mirror, before she schooled her expression. She was thinking of how to defray that comment, when Emma chuckled.

"I _know_ she's a witch, Ava, I work with the woman, nearly every day! But that's not nice to call an adult a name, no matter how accurate it is, though, 'kay?"

Ava giggled. "Sheriff, you're funny!"

Emma shook her head, and Regina looked relieved. The paramedics rushed to the car, assisting the Sheriff, and the law enforcement officer rattled off the details to the medics like a veteran dispatcher to the crew. Regina was impressed, despite herself, and saw the forelorn little girl next to the busy Sheriff.

She took Ava by the hand, following the crowd, into the hospital. Ava squeezed her hand.

"Thank you for getting us here so fast, your majesty. "

"Anytime, Ava." She smiled, at the girl holding her hand. "Was that true, what you told the Sheriff? Your parents aren't around?"

She shook her head. "Nope. We don't have any."

Regina looked shocked. "Wh-what happened to them?"

She shrugged. "Dunno." She looked at the older woman, and said, "We thought you did something to them…but now that I've met you, I don't think you did."

Regina arched an eyebrow. "No, I've done some things, I'll admit….but your parents are not on that list, I'm afraid." She said, honestly, crouching down, and looking the worried girl in the eye. "While the Sheriff gets your brother taken care of, do you think we should go get everyone one of those hot chocolates, she mentioned?"

"Yeah! Awesome!"

And the two headed off towards the cafeteria, Regina motioning to the Sheriff she would "be right back."

Emma nodded, in understanding, smiling.

"Was that…Regina Mills?" Dr. Whale asked, having finally arrived at the scene in the triage suite.

"Yup." Emma nodded, stroking the boy's hair, who had finally passed out, exhausted from the pain and the stress.

"Regina Mills… _Mayor_ Regina Mills?" He clarified.

"Did I stutter, Doc?" The Sheriff clarified.

"What was she doing here?" He said, looking flabbergasted down the hallway she had just walked through towards the cafeteria.

Emma huffed. "Oh, Christ, doc? Don't you have something more important to worry about, right now?" She reminded him, gesturing to the boy beneath her. "And for your information, she drove us here."

"What?"

"Yeah, we were on our way to lunch, and we came upon the trauma scene, and we stopped-"

"What?" He asked again.

Emma looked at him, annoyed. "What, what?"

"Did you say you were on your way to lunch? Together? You and Regina?"

Emma was dumbfounded that this so-called medical professional was wasting valuable time reviewing her social calendar instead of tending to the wounded patient. The bleeding, wounded patient.

That reminds me, thought Emma.

"Here" She said, handing over the bag with the two fingers on ice. "Here ya go. Don't know if you can reimplant them or not. The Mayor said they were pretty smashed up when she found them."

"What?!"

"Oh for Christ sakes. I'm not repeating myself."

He took the organ bag, tied up neatly, on ice from the sheriff. He looked at it as though it might be an alien sarcophagus, or something as equally probable.

"Let me get this straight, Sheriff. You and Regina were driving through town—together—on your way to a lunch date….when you came upon an accident site. You and Regina went on a search and rescue—together—and she drove the victims here, in her POV, to the hospital. With you. Together. Is that correct?"

"Uh…yes?"

Before the amazed doctor could choke out another word, a OR tech came skittering up, informing him that OR 2 was prepped and ready.

"Oh, I have to get more from you Sheriff, sometime later!" He laughed, as he walked with the patient transport gurney, holding the iced bag. As they wheeled away, swiftly, Emma thought she over heard him mumbling to himself,

"The Evil Queen and the Savior…on a caper. Saving lives….oh my stars, she might really _be the Savior_ , after all."

The Sheriff cocked her head confused, wondering what fruitcakes they allowed on staff at this snake pit, as she watched his retreating figure. She reminded herself never to get in an accident or require hospitalization in the foreseeable future. She shook her head sighing, the adrenaline finally settling down, and she felt exhausted.

Then…out of the blue, her neck started tingling.

She felt like she was on …. Heightened alert, for lack of a better term.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt the soft touch on her shoulder.

"Sorry, Sheriff. Didn't mean to startle you." The silky tones of Regina Mills echoed in her left ear, as she felt the woman slide up behind her, to-go beverages in hand, and Ava in tow.

"Would you like some…hot chocolate?" She offered, slightly more seductively than hot chocolate had the right to be, frankly.

Emma shook her head, trying to clear the weird sensations in her body, out of the blue. "Uh…uh, yeah, Regina, thanks." She noted Ava standing net to her, looking up. "And thank you, Miss Ava!"

"You're welcome. She paid, though." She said, pointing at Regina.

"Yes," Regina agreed, looking at the little girl. "But you carried it. That's the hard part. "

"True, your majesty," the little girl acknowledge as she handed it over to Emma, nodding. "But –oh!" The girl squealed. "LEGOs!" She said, noting the stuff in the waiting room, and beelined straight over to the toys, the adults forgotten.

The blonde and the brunette stood, shoulder to shoulder, as they were unceremoniously dumped for the LEGOs.

Regina mused, "Oh, goody! The bacteria-infested cesspool of the hospital waiting room play space!" Regina mock-groaned. "She'll have diahrrea in, like, two days, _tops_."

" _Mmm._ " Emma said, sipping her Hot Chocolate. "MMmm-hmmm."

Something about the way Emma hummed her enjoyment, made Regina tense up...just a little bit. She was alarmed at her body's reaction to that auditory aphrodisiac known as Emma Swan's moan, and she refused to admit it.

"So...is it as good as you promised?" The brunette said, after collecting herself.

"Yes…" Emma said, hesitantly.

"I smell a caveat coming. Yes, but…what? "

Emma frowned. "I don't know why, but for some reason, I have to say...I'm craving something else besides hot chocolate..."

"The horror!" Regina said, her mouth curving into a trace of a smile. "What has lead to such a betrayal of the chocolate, Madam?"

Emma shook her head, confused, absentmindedly holding her lukewarm drink. "It's weird. I don't even like the stuff, normally. But, I have to say, what I'm really craving right now is a hot…" She looked Regina directly into the face, sincerely perplexed as she finished, "...A cup of hot _Apple Cider,_ actually. It's just...weird."

Forcing herself to ignore the butterflies in her stomach, the Mayor simply answered noncommittally. "Yes. Weird." Regina agreed.

 **To Be Continued.**


	4. Taste My Forbidden Fruit

**Disclaimer:** I don't own this, it is the property of ABC. (If I did, plueah-se! Swan Queen = Canon).

 **A/N:** Not gonna lie- your comments regarding OUAT season 5 and lack of SwanQueen acknowledgment in PM's and reviews has given me some feels- glad to know I'm not the only one feeling this way! One can dream, though...(and write FF). Thank you for sharing your feelings! Now, we head into some romantic tension, finally. Sorry for the slow-ish burn. R &R, please.

 _ ***** To answer a reviewer's question: This is set sometime between curse 1 and curse 2. Everyone knows the evil queen/regina/witch connection, and they know their own pasts, and they choose to live a mix in-between, in Storybrooke. So yes, they know Regina's a witch, except people new to Storybrooke (which includes Emma)._

* * *

 **Chapter 4. Taste My Forbidden Fruit**

Emma sipped quietly, unsure of how the air suddenly became so damned heavy between the two of them. Regina seemed to be regarding her, closely, and truthfully it made the blonde a little unnerved. She half thought about making a wise-ass comment, to the effect of "take a picture, I'll last longer," but truthfully?

Emma was rather _pleased_ the Mayor seemed intrigued by her.

They waited, dutifully, with Ava, until the Case Manager and Social Worker showed up. The women, looking like Frick and Frack, appeared as typically harried and overworked as most social workers are, but seeing the Sheriff, whom they had had to work with several times already, made their faces light up.

 _"Sheriff Swan!_ Shoulda known you were behind the search and rescue!" The shorter of the two hollered out, grinning.

The enthusiastic grin quickly extinguished, immediately, when they she realized who the Sheriff's companion was, standing next to her. Her look morphed from shock, to fear, to a resentful neutrality, all within the span of seconds. It didn't escaped either woman's notice, either.

"Uh, Mayor Mills! Er... Hello. This is…unexpected."

The Mayor arched one perfectly tweezed eyebrow. _"Is it,_ now?" Regina answered, coolly.

The social worker seemed flustered. "Well, yes, I mean…uh, it's just…."

"…you're so busy, and all." The taller social worker interjected. _"That's_ why." Her partner gave her a grateful look, and nodded.

Emma frowned, looking between the women, confused about the sudden tenseness that had settled over their group. The sheriff interrupted, "Hey, pleasantries aside, should we give you report, so we can get our asses outta here? The Mayor owes me lunch, and I'm afraid if we delay much longer, she'll use it as an excuse to renege!" Emma grinned, charmingly.

That seemed to startle the poor women even more, but they nodded, anyway. Slipping back into their professional roles again, they began filling out the paperwork, asking for the story. Emma recounted the scene they came across, in quick detail, deliberately deferring a few points to Regina, which she obliged.

Eventually the tense women relaxed, and finished the report.

"Okay, I think that's a good start." She called out to her partner, motioning her back from the play area with the abandoned little girl the two had discovered this morning. Turning back, and looking only at Emma, she asked, "Sheriff, I hate to ask, but do you mind hanging out for a few, in case we need you?"

"Why?"

"Mostly if we have issues with locating the children's parents."

The shorter one, who had walked Ava back to the group, shared that little Ava was excited to go to the _big_ play room, on the children's floor. Ava nodded enthusiastically in agreement, looking at Emma and Regina, excitedly.

Emma lowered her voice so it could only be heard by adults in the circle. "I see. Are you asking me to stay as the _first responder witness_ or because you need me here, as the Sheriff?"

"Possibly both."

Emma nodded. "Uh…"

The shorter worked nodded, and said to Emma, "Plus, I'm sure you'll want to see this one's brother, when he's out of surgery, right? I hear you were pretty spectacular, Sheriff! Should be about another 50 minutes or so."

Ava looked expectantly at Emma. "Oh, please, Sheriff? You have to come say hi to him!" She cast her blue eyes longingly at Regina. "You too, Mayor? Would you mind coming, too?"

Regina was startled to have been asked to stay, her eyes wide. The two social workers looked at each other, nervously, and the shorter one quickly said to her ward, "No, honey, I don't think the Mayor can stay, dear. She's very busy, and all—"

A cool voice cut them off. _"Of course_ I wouldn't mind, Ava." Regina interjected.

Both mouths of the social worker dropped open, almost comically, at the same time. Emma looked over at her lunch date, impressed. She nudged her, at the hip, to which Regina shot her an annoyed look in return, which only made Emma laugh.

 _"You wouldn't?"_ The social worker asked, shocked.

"Of course she wouldn't!" Ava said, matter of fact. _"She_ helped save my brother, too!" The young girl looked up at the strange adults, and shrugged. "What? She did!"

"Yes, she did." Emma said, softly, crouching down to eye level with the little girl. "But," she staged whispered, "...not everyone can know she's nice, 'kay? That's our little secret, alrite?"

"Okay." Ava nodded, seriously. "But she is nice." She added.

Emma held up a finger to her mouth. "Shhhh!" The Sheriff said, in mock seriousness. "We can't let that secret out, Ava! You know what happens to girls that don't follow instructions?"

Ava shrugged, guessing, "She curses them?" She said, pointing at the flabbergasted Mayor.

Emma furrowed her brow, confused, ignoring the small gasps of the two social workers. She looked up at Regina, apologetically.

Regina huffed and rolled her eyes. "No, silly girl!" She interjected. The tension was palpable, with the group wondering what The Evil Queen was going to say next, as they had all seen her methods of dealing with the rulebreakers, in the past. To their surprise, she added with mirth, _"Worse!_ They…don't get hot chocolate."

Ava's eyes got wide. "Oh, well, then I'll follow instructions, then."

"Good." Regina said, with an amused smile, mumbling, "A curse just ain't what it used to be…" She straightened her shoulders, extending her hand to the blonde.

"Well, this seems in order, Ms. Swan; and I dare say you need to stick around. So, it looks like your lunch will be the gourmet styling's of the Hospital cafeteria, today."

Emma accepted the extended hand, and allowed Regina to pull her up. Much to Regina's surprise, the Sheriff seemed insistent on holding it after she was standing.

"I see what you're doing there, Mayor!" Emma chortled, squeezing Regina's hand. "And you're not getting over, you cheapskate!"

Regina shrugged, shaking off her hand. "Well, duty calls, so hospital caf it is for you, my dear..." She sashayed down the hallway, Emma clearly gawking at her backside. A few steps later, as though she had eyes in the back of her head, she stopped.

Turning around, with a sultry over the shoulder look, she asked, "Are you coming, Sheriff?"

Emma shook her head, dazed. "Sorry…just admiring the view." She said, sheepishly. "Yes, I'm coming!"

As she hustled down the hall to catch up with the smiling dark haired seductress, the two women and one girl stood there in their wake, staring. Only the little girl wasn't staring in clear befuddlement. A small group had formed, staring at the two women, walking side by side, tweaking each other and giggling, Along with several passer-bys. It was becoming quite a flash-mob, actually.

"Surely…no…"

"It would be impossible."

"Sheriff Swan? And the Mayor? No…."

The shorter social worker asked, "You don't suppose they're dating, do you? I mean, they _acted_ like they're dating!"

Ava interrupted the two adults above her, offering, " _No way!_ They act like they're _married."_ She said simply. "And, are we having lunch anytime soon?"

* * *

They sat in muted silence, in line to pay at the hospital cafeteria.

Sure, Emma was familiar with the commentary leveled at the Mayor; but she just chalked it up to gossip. She had been at the receiving end of such gossip, all the time, growing up...and she learned first hand one can't always believe everything one hears. Sure, Regina could be smarmy...bitchy, even. But evil? True Evil, as a few whispered comments made it to Emma suggested?

Emma laughed. She had seen true evil in her life, and Mayor Regina Mills was not it. Not "evil" evil, per se. However, she suspected she could be the very _good kind of evil,_ the kind that Emma liked, late at night, between the sheets...

...but those were musings, for another day.

All her life, Emma had had a sixth sense, about people. She could tell if they were sincere, if their intentions were pure, or not so pure; she could smell bullshit a mile away. Most importantly, she _always_ knew when people were lying. A helpful skill set for a street kid, really.

Carrying over into her adult life, Emma knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was a straight shooter. She was bitchy, sure; snarky, always. But she never lied to Emma, and she was never disingenuious. She worked really hard, and she was an excellent public official. She improved things in the town, practically daily. She cared that the town continued to prosper. She was a good Mayor; of that the newest resident was positive. Emma Swan was sure Regina Mills was _not_ evil. She was _not_ dangerous.

At least, not to Emma.

So it befuddled the town's newest Sheriff, when she witnessed the town's animosity, fear, and resentment directed towards person they continued to re-elect, over and over, as the central figure of their town: their Mayor. She'd never get Storybrooke; it was full of ironies like that. She once asked her Deputy why the hell they kept re-electing her, if they hated her so much. He shrugged, and actually admitted what Emma already knew: she was the best candidate for the job.

Sure, the Sheriff loved to give the Mayor shit, too. But it was a different kind of hazing-fun, playful, with a little bit of smoldering sexual je ne sais quoi about it. The couple she lived with? David and Mary Magdaline? Hell, they just gave her plain old shit. And they were the kind ones.

However, Emma was not prepared to see that behavior, up close and personal, as Regina did on a daily basis. Having lunch with her, in the hospital cafe, she got to walk in Regina's shoes...and despite their expensive label and stylish design, they were not fun shoes to walk in...at all. Just going through the line, in an attempt to pay, she felt the animosity roll off the townies, like waves:

 _"Hi, Sheriff! Heard about the boy you save! What are you doing here-oh!" The voices would get icy. "...Hello, Mayor. What are you doing here?"_

 _"Hi Sheriff! Did you arrest the Mayor?"_

 _"Psst, Emma! What are you doing with her?"_

The stares and whispers. _"Psst! The Savior...she's with...her!"_

The universal looks of distain, fear, and intimidation.

Worse, they contrasted so starkly with how Emma was treated. Emma was adored by the town; granted, she worked really hard, too...but she felt herself no better than the Mayor. And yet, their treatment was so radically different, it was comical. Emma watched, as the Mayor slicked on that shelliacked front, looking untouchable; acting untouchable.

Emma knew better however, and she intuitively knew how to make it better.

"Hey, Mayor Hot Stuff!" Emma whispered, bumping her hip against the hip of the jumpy Mayor.

"Emma! You nearly made me drop my tray!"

The Sheriff looked at her with a goofy smile, to which Regina rolled her eyes. "Oh my God, now what?" She muttered.

Emma's eyes looked dreamy. "You called me 'Emma,' Mayor!" The blonde grinned.

Regina straightened her posture. "That is your name, is it not?"

"Oh, _it is,_ your Mayorness," Emma chuckled. "But it's just the first time you've ever used my first name! We're having a…moment!" The attractive blonde drawled.

Regina rolled her eyes. "You're not going to ask us to start weaving friendship bracelets now, are you?"

Emma waggled her eyebrows. "Hm. No friendship bracelets, Mayor. But…maybe that means we're ready to go to second base, though?"

She deliberately waited a minute, just to watch the onslaught of emotions cascade across the Mayor's face, before recanting. She made sure to laugh, boisterously, and hip bump her again, to let Regina know she _wasn't serious_ (okay, so maybe she was, just a little bit) but it allowed some of the color to finally return to the Mayor's face.

"Anyway, _Regina_ ," she said deliberately, "...before you got all romantic, making the moves on me, and such…I was in the middle of making a suggestion."

The mayor arched her eyebrows, and the cashier continued to look between the two, fascinated. _It was better than Days of Our Lives,_ by the cashier's estimation; the sexual tension was practically dripping off these two local celebrities.

She made a point to go back to counting the change in her drawer voicing a tiny "eep!" when Regina gave her a typically evil glare.

"It reeks of peasant…" Regina mumbled, to herself.

"What?"

Regina shook her head, as though clearing her thoughts, and looked up at the clear hazel green eyes, staring back at her.

"Okay, I have a feeling I'm going to be subjected to your hare-brained idea, weather I agree to it or not, Sheriff. So, you may as well just tell me what I will have the displeasure of doing, with you."

Emma's mouth dropped open, rather inelegantly. Her mind was racing to all the things that Regina could have the "displeasure" of doing with her…

 _To_ her…

 **For** her.

Under her… _over_ her…

"Emma!" A voice pulled her out of her day dream. The Mayor was shaking her, by the arms. "Oh my god, were you dropped on your head as a child? Is it that hard to pay attention?"

'Yes? No? Uh, I don't know?" Emma said, her brain short circuiting, still cycling through the mental imagery of Regina Mills contorting in various lewd positions above her.

Regina crossed her arms across her chest, narrowing her gaze at the suddenly idiodic sheriff. She sighed, and waived the people behind her to move in line ahead of them, forward to the cashier. She made a graceful gesture, motioning the couple behind them.

"We're having some trouble deciding." The Mayor said, graciously. "Please, don't let us hold up the line…go ahead of us."

"Wha'd ya do to her, Mayor?" The man said, looking at the Sheriff, concerned.

His wife swatted him. "Oh, stop it, Paul! They're just having a lovers' _spat,_ for Goodness sakes! Leave them alone!"

He shrugged, pushing their tray forward, to the eager cashier. Regina winced, as she heard the nosy cashier whisper to the couple as they paid, "I know, right? I mean, I thought they were going to kiss, right in the middle of the line, earlier!"

"Well, couples do that, dear." The elderly woman said, nonplussed, ignoring her affronted husband. She whacked him again. "Paul! Go get us some cutlery and a table!"

He huffed. "Geez, May! I wanted to see what happens!"

Regina rolled her eyes, looking at the Sheriff. "I hope you're happy."

"Hmm. I will be soon, I hope!" She winked at Regina, as she pushed their tray to the cashier.

The ruddy cashier shook her head, holding her hand up. "Oh, no Sheriff! Listen, it's on the house for you and the mayor!" She said, as she rang up "No sale. "

Emma quickly moved to the to-go containers, and boxed up all their stuff expertly. "I was going to suggest we get out of the fishbowl, Mayor. Wanna go outside to eat?"

For the first time in a long while, the Mayor gave a genuine smile.

"I'd actually love that…Emma."

To Be Continued...


	5. It's Just Lunch

**I Run This Town  
Disclaimers:** Don't own this, the lovely folks at ABC do.  
 **A/N:** Thank you so much for the nice reviews, people, and random speculations...and yes, you are correct. There will be apple cider.

 **A/N #2 (post-posting):** Okay, weirdness abounds - the non beta chapter posted, then a truncated chapter posted, and yeah. I can only claim responsibility for the first snafu. I am hoping this corrected version makes it up, and that folks read this version, even if the read 1.0—I believe this story may be cursed. I'm just speculating….

 **Chapter 5 (version 3.0). It's Just Lunch**

Emma and Regina walked, side by side, not really saying much.

At least they were outside, which somehow seemed less suffocating. The two odd bedfellows were hypervigilant, on lookout for seating that would meet their mutual needs consisting of both being _outside_ and secondly, keeping everyone _out_ of their shit.

While they both grew increasingly frustrated at the lack of options, with each corner turned, only Emma showed it, externally. They scanned the area, in vain, for open seating outside of any type, but it was not to be. It appeared unlikely they would get relief from the prying eyes of _seemingly everyone_ in the hospital.

Emma finally felt the need to address the ridiculousness. "Good God, it's like, standing room only!" Emma lamented, holding her chicken salad sandwich, dejectedily.

Regina looked around tersely, as well. She was hardly immune to observing the subtle distain from her fellow lunchgoers; likely they were only holding their tongues because she was being accompanied by the alleged fucking Savior of Storybrooke.

Putting her resentment aside, she finally turned to Emma, shaking her head. "Well, Sheriff…you know what they say about Storybrooke General…"

"No...what?" Emma asked, seriously.

The brunette smiled a mischievous smile. Her plump red lips answered Emma's question, husking, "Well, you know, Sheriff... everyone's _dying_ to get in." The dark chocolate eyes flicked back and forth, watching Emma's pale green ones, as they grasped with slow realization that the formidable mayor had actually just told... a _joke._

A _God-honest_ joke, for Pete's sakes!

"Holy shit." Emma said, seriously. _"It's the apocalypse_." She murmured.

Then Emma had an uncontrollable delayed response, consisting of the blonde sheriff bursting out into pearls of laughter, unable to collect herself for a full minute. The whole awkward moment concluded with Emma slapping her, on the arm. "Madame Mayor…did you actually _fucking_ tell a joke, just now?" Emma asked, in utter disbelief.

Regina merely arched an eyebrow as she rolled her eyes.

"Yes. I did, Emma. It was that time I announced we would be hiring a Sheriff from New Hampshire, several months back."

Emma was still giggling. "Oh, hardee har har."

Regina bit back any further snark, opting instead to ramble, "I think I'm getting punch drunk, from lack of sustenance, all because this place is overcrowded!" Regina said, as they walked around, confirming their worst suspicions. "I fear there are no available tables, Sheriff, and I'm going to be getting pretty hungry-bitchy, soon."

"I see that..." Emma agreed, nodding. "And this is 'hungry-bitchy', as opposed to just plain ol' 'bitchy-bitchy'? Because if that's worse, we best be finding you some means in which to sit down and eat! In fact, I may have to commandeer a table, in the city-wide interests of the safety of this town."

Frowning, the Mayor sighed, and looked at her, hesitantly. "No. That's not necessary. I…I have a suggestion, Sheriff."

Emma nodded, listening.

Regina chewed on her lower lip, uncharacteristically hesitant. Emma thought it might be the cutest damn thing she'd ever seen in her life. She was still staring at they Mayor's lips when she finished, "But, let's find somewhere with a bit more…privacy, first."

Emma nodded again, only catching part of what those lips said, but followed silently behind the _click click_ of the Mayor's high heels, as she made her way with purpose to some ostensible location in the hospital where she could make a suggestion to Emma Swan _….in private._

Emma's heart picked up several beats.

The Sheriff was wrestling internally with the implication of her request. _Hopefully, it was the_ _ **good**_ _kind of private, like the "I'm going to shove you against the wall and put my leg in your crotch" kind of private...and not the_ _ **bad**_ _kind of private. The kind in which I end up sliced into several thousand bitty pieces, or something._ Emma thought.

* * *

"This is good." Regina said, her eyes darting around the alleyway.

Emma Swan looked around. "Well, we could have walked two more feet, and been in Boston, Madame Mayor. What kinda lunch are you eating that you need this kind of privacy?"

Emma's eyes widened, in realization.

"Holy shit! You're not going to light up a doob, or something, are you? Cause, I have to tell you, I actually do take my job as a law enforcement officer seriously, Regina..."

Regina held up her hand, to Emma's mouth.

" **Stop**. **Talking**." She said, cutting the Sheriff's ramble off. She released her hand, satisfied that Emma was indeed done with her word vomit, and nodded. "You know, Ms. Swan...every time I think there is a remote chance I could stand being in the same room with you?" She gave her the up and down, waiving her hand. "...You say some shit like this. Then, I come to my senses, and think...hmm. Maybe I _should have_ killed her."

Emma grinned. "I'm charming, like that. Runs in the family."

Regina winced.

"So..."Emma said, rocking on her heels. "What did you have in mind, exactly? Cause, frankly, Regina...I'm like 35 seconds away from copping a squat, here by the dumpsters, and eating right fucking here. I'm starving!"

"As am I, Sheriff. But, I thought it might be nice..."

Emma looked at the woman, clearly struggling with herself.

"...you know, since you did express an interest..."

Emma continued to wait.

"...An atypical one at that." Regina stopped talking, instead looking around to see if they had been followed.

Emma took the opportunity to grab her by the shoulders. "Hey! Lady!" She yelled, startling the mayor. "That made no fucking sense whatsoever, and I believe I mentioned I'm hungry?"

Regina looked Emma Square in the face. "I believe you said you would like some Apple Cider, Emma?" She asked, softly.

The sheriff threw up her hands in resignation. "What the fuck does that have to do with the price of tea in China, Regina?"

"As fate would have it, my good Ms. Swan...I happen to make the best apple cider in New England. I think it would go nicely with our soggy sandwiches, yes?"

Emma looked confused. "Yeah, but...your house is like...across town, Regina-"

She was cut off from finishing that sentence, as the dark haired woman smiled, intently, and grasped the Sheriff's hand. With a flourish of her other hand, billowing purple smoke swirled around them, and then, Emma felt the pull of travel...unexpectedly.

* * *

"What. The. Fuck. _Was. That?_ Regina?"

The Sherriff looked absolutely freaked out, barely taking in that they were standing by the dining nook inside Regina's home.

"Magic, Emma." She said, simply.

"Magic?" Emma's eyes widened. "But magic..."

"...doesn't exist?" Regina laughed. "Clearly, it does, Emma."

The blonde struggled to process this new information. "So what they said, about you...uh," she said, in slow, deliberate tones. "...about you being a witch? About you being a _dark_ witch? The one who..."

"Cursed the Forest into Storybrooke? Stole everyone's happy endings? Threatening to destroy everyone's happy ending if it was the last thing I did...The Evil Queen?" She laughed, mirthlessly. "Yes, its true, Emma. That was me."

"Was...who?"

" **Me** , Emma. Me! I _was_ the dark queen, once upon a time."

She didn't sound proud, or taunting; more importantly, she didn't sound dangerous. She was just a woman, nervously standing in front of Emma Swan, waiting to gauge her reaction. While Emma processed this, Regina looked down, and said,

"You know, I became...fond, for lack of a better word, of your attempts at befriending me." Regina sighed. "It had been such a long time since anyone tried. And God help you, you're nothing if not... persistent. And I told myself it was probably because you were one of the only people in town that didn't know my past."

She looked up, trying to hide her fear simmering underneath, showing only a wry smile.

"And..now, well...there's a part of me," she straightened herself, looking haughty. "Granted, a very tiny, infintisimal part of me...that worries that... **now** that you know the truth..." her voice trailed off, as she opted to look into her kitchen, instead of at the intense staring blonde in the other direction.

She didn't face Emma as she said, "that you might not continue to be so annoyingly persistent, anymore."

They looked at each other for a long while; Regina's worst fears coming to pass, or so she thought. Clearly, she hadn't read the Emma Swan handbook, and realized how much the blonde had already fallen for her.

"Right, then...I'll get us back to the hospital, then.." Regina said, raising her arm.

...only for it to be slammed against the wall, as her body was shoved against the wall behind her. Her hand was gripped tightly by the Sheriff's vise like grip; and soon she felt the lithe blonde's body pressing up against her own.

Emma husked in a much lower voice than normal, "are you fucking insane, Regina?"

Regina's eyes finally drifted over, looking at Emma. What the mayor saw shocked her...gone were the pale hazel eyes she hated to admit she was so fond of, and in their place, dark lusty eyes, that were brimming with want. Emma was breathing heavily, as she continued, rubbing her nose across Regina's cheek.

"You tell me the single hottest thing I've ever heard about you...that you can do magic, for fuck's sakes...and then decide you're going to Poof! us back to the fucking hospital?" She pressed closer into Regina until their bodies were flush, and they both were starting to have labored breathing. "I'm sorry, but just...NO, Madame Mayor. No."

"Well? What should I believe?" The brunette said, defensively. "Your distinct _lack of interest_ , after I told you, led me to believe that-"

She was cut off by a growl, with Emma additionally taking a step back, slightly. The mayor's eyes widened, as she watched Emma unbutton her skinny jeans and unzip them, deliberately. She grabbed Regina's hand, causing the mayor to gasp, as she drug it between her legs, under her boundries, and let it dead center, to feel the moisture that had pooled between Emma's legs.

"Tell me, Mayor..." Emma asked, dragging Regina's fingers through her dripping wet folds, deliberately. She pressed down hard, when they stopped, over her bead, causing Emma to twitch. She gasped. "...does this feel like a 'distinct lack of interest' to you? You tell me you can do fucking MAGIC, Regina...making you _exponentially_ hotter than you already are...which is already sick hot." Emma leaned in, even closer. "Then, you ask me...ask me if I'm interested? _Really_?"

Regina had never been intimate, with anyone _this_ crude, _this_ forward, before.

And yet…she was so damn aroused by the crude, forward, and very attractive blonde, that she thought she might _explode._

 _"Well?"_ Emma asked, pressing Regina's hand down, hard, against her quickly swelling bead. She guided Regina's fingers throughout her wetness, in small circular motions. Her fingers seemed to absorb Emma's arousal, forcing the brunette's fingers to tremble. The brunette was currently hovering over the younger woman, enjoying the overhead view.

"No." Regina said, clearing her throat, emphatically. " ** _No..._** that does _not_ feel like a...lack of interest, Emma." She clarified, eyes darkening. " _Quite the opposite_ , actually."

 **To Be Continued. Please R &R.**


	6. It's Like Magic

**I Run This Town  
Disclaimers:** Don't own this, the lovely people at ABC do, who refuse to make this canon. Yes, yes, I'm happy they were created in the first place….thank you sir, may I please have another?  
 **A/N:** This is not sarcastic – thank you for the nice reviews. And yes this is slightly non-canon; Regina has and is **magic** (AF). It's kind of between 1st and 2nd curses; people know who Regina is and take the best of both worlds, but still complain. (Like RL).

* * *

 **Chapter 6. It's Like Magic**

Emma had the Mayor pressed up against her own wall in her home, trapped.

The blonde had removed her guiding hand from her pants, but it had not escaped her attention that the good Mayor had left her hand there, underneath Emma's underwear, definitely between her legs.

 _Yep, the hand's still there_ , Emma noted to herself, smirking.

The same hand that was now cupping her mound, pressing slender fingertips with precision against her rapidly swelling clit.

Regina was playing her like _a maestro,_ in fact.

" **Wow**." Emma gasped. "You're…pretty good at that, Regina…. _fuck!"_ The blonde was nearly brought to her knees, as Regina went in for the kill. Her skilled digits pressed, bearing down hard on the hood of her bead with three fingertips. The brunette leaned in, grazing her warm breath against Emma neck, dragging her mouth slowly up to Emma's right ear.

 _"_ _This isn't my first rodeo_ , Sheriff."

"Oh? Really? " Emma arched her eyebrows, leveling her hazel eyes on brown ones. She tried not to feel jealous. "Do tell, Mayor. What other rodeo—aggh, _fuck!"_

Regina struck again. Once again, the Mayor had rendered her speechless, as she slid her fingers down the length of Emma's wet folds, and using to fingers to pierce her entrance.

It felt so fucking amazing…so delicious…and Emma wanted this, so much.

Regina was pisteoning in and out of her opening, and she could feel her beginning to curl her fingers, and Emma realized she was not only _embarrassingly wet_ , as evidenced by the sloshing noises Regina's fingers were making at her core, but also embarrassingly _close._

She wrestled with herself. This…vixen, for lack of a better word, had haunted her from the moment she came to this ridiculous town that time forgot. Their banter and arguing had always been the strangest of foreplay; Emma always knew that. Just like she knew someday she would make this woman _hers._ She wanted it….she wanted Regina Mills, badly.

 _But not like this._

 **"** **Excuse** me? What do you think are you doing, Ms. Swan?" The mayor asked, incredulous. She was staring at her right hand, which had been ripped from its ministrations in the Sheriff's opening, now gripped cross body by Emma's right. She had unceremoniously yanked Regina's hand out of her, without explanation. Regina looked at her now dormant hand, with Emma's arousal dripping off of it.

Emma was panting, and closed her eyes. Finally, she opened them, and said, "Mayor."

"Yes?"

"Mayor…uh, Regina. You've no idea, none at all, about how much I've fantasized about this. About you."

"You have a funny way of showing it." Regina said, wrenching her hand from the blonde's grip.

Emma slammed her palms on either side of Regina's head, and looked her straight it the eyes, essentially barricading her in place.

"I want you, Regina."

"I think the moisture on my hand pretty much confirms that, yes…"

Emma didn't bat an eye. "And I'm fairly certain that you want me, too…"

Regina rolled her eyes. "Please refer to my most recent comment….as well as the one that mentioned you have a funny manner of showing this alleged desire."

"Damn it, Regina! I'm being serious, here!" Emma said, growing angry. "Why do you do that?"

She pushed off the wall, and the two were merely facing each other. Regina looked more vulnerable than she would like as she asked quietly, "Do what, Emma?"

The blonde shook her head, gesturing indirectly towards the woman in the tailored suit. "I don't know…just snark, I guess. Put up walls. I dunno."

Regina looked like she wanted to lash out with some comment, but to her credit, she merely stood there, and waited for Emma to finish her thought.

Emma sighed.

"Look….for some reason, uh…I think we work. And," Emma sighed again. "I like you, Regina. Even when you're a bitch on wheels and making me so some redundant shit that's unnecessary. I respect your drive, your attention to detail; and I can see how much you love this town, even if the assholes in it can't."

Regina sucked in a breath. She wasn't expecting _this._

Emma cast a soulful gaze on the Mayor, still clearly wounded by the town's distain. The savior spoke softly, as to not spook the proud woman standing inches from her own face.

"And I know it sucks, alright? I'm sure you resent me, too, even though you know its not my fault these people give me more credit than I deserve. I don't ask for it."

For the first time, Regina spoke sincerely. "I know." She said softly. "They can't help it, really. You're the savior, after all…"

Emma's eyes flashed with something uninterpretable. "That's just a made up label, Regina. A nickname."

Regina chuckled, in resignation. "No, it's far more than a nickname, Emma."

Emma's hand reached over, and cupped the Mayor's chin, tilting her head up to meet her earnest gaze. Emma had a playful glint in her eye. "Okay, it's more like a trademark, really, now that you mention it..."

Regina looked at her confused.

"…I'm having T-shirts made, a few coffee cups…we'll sell them at the high school basketball game…"

She waited for it to sink in, and then she heard the most delicious sound:

Regina's laughter.

Rich in body, just like the woman herself, it caused another round of arousal to sear through Emma's body, and cause her nipples to go erect. Unable to help herself, she lunged forward, and kissed the woman with everything she had.

Wet, sloppy, and passionate…a bit of a hot mess, really; just like Emma herself.

She pulled away, looking into Regina's eyes, as she explained, "Regina. _I want you_ …so much. So much I'd burn my jeans off my body. I'd…I'd set my bug on fire…"

"That's quite an…inferno, Ms. Swan, you're suggesting."

"Mmm." Emma said, thinking. "But, I see us as more than a… quick fuck." She said, nervously, trying to gage the mayor's reaction. "I would like to see us as more, I guess…and so, I'd rather our first time not be…." Emma struggled with her words.

"…a quick fuck against my mudroom wall?" Regina chuckled. "Fine, Emma Swan. Kill the spontaneity," she said, theatrically, but clearly touched. "You can have your wish."

Emma cocked an eyebrow.

It was Regina's turn to lean forward. "Take me to my bed, Ms. Swan." She said, deliberately.

A grin the size of Christmas slid across the blondes face, as she nodded. Before Regina realized what was happening, Emma had leaned over, and swooped her up into her arms, deadlifting her into a bridal-style carry.

She grinned at the startled Mayor.

"Regina Mills?" Emma replied. "I thought you'd _never_ ask."

The Sheriff of Storybrooke, Maine started to walk up the long stairway that led to Regina's bedroom. She carried Regina in her arms like a precious treasure, without any effort at all. Turning away slightly from Emma so she couldn't be seen, the Mayor allowed a tiny, genuine smile infiltrate her features, as she was carried up the stairs.

* * *

 **"** **Fuck!"** Emma groaned, her fingers threaded through the thick dark locks between her legs. "Fuck, fuck, fuck!"

Regina glanced up, humming her acknowledgement. The vibration only caused Emma's pelvis to further buck off the bed, as that evil tongue belonging to that temptress Regina Mills continued to circle, dancing around her clit and around the outside of her entrance…

 _…_ _but never_ _ **in.**_

"Fuck, you are going to kill me!"

Regina took a long swipe, dragging her tongue from the 6 o'clock of Emma's entrance all the way up to the tip of her clit, popping off a final deliberate push, as she sucked it back into her mouth.

With an evil grin, Regina raised her head and answered, "That's possible. I've considered it, before…"

Emma groaned with frustration, staring at the ceiling. "Is this some kind of sick revenge, some torture plan? You've been down there, licking me for _twenty minutes_ …"

"You've been timing me?"

Emma glanced over at the bedside clock. "…Twenty-one," she corrected. "Twenty-one minutes, Regina! I'm begging you, Regina, _literally_ begging you—"

Regina cut her off, as she slid her naked body up Emma's frame.

"Begging me?" She said, forcefully. "What could you _possibly_ be…" Regina was now flush with her at eye level, their naked bodies pressing against each other, tantalizing and heart-stopping. Emma trembled, but held her gaze. Regina mused, rhetorically, not looking at Emma. "What could you possibly be… _begging me_ for?"

Then, the brunette tilted her head down gazing directly at Emma underneath. The look she cast, suddenly, was _so severe,_ so intense; it nearly took Emma's breath away.

Regina husked, "Could it be…you're _begging_ me, for….?"

Without preamble, Regina jammed three fingers, straight into Emma's core, deep into the back.

"….This?" the Mayor growled.

The moan that escaped Emma's mouth was one she didn't recognize. It only thrummed louder as Regina pulled out, and pushed back in, before Emma even really registered what she had finally done. The brunette then bent her arm, and turned her hand, while _inside_ Emma, adding her **forth** finger.

Emma groaned, with the stretch of Regina's fingers…hell, Regina's _hand_ …at her entrance.

 _It hurt so good._

"Oh, God! _Yes,_ Regina!" Emma exhaled, closing her eyes and arching slightly off the mattress, as the brunette continued to shovel in and out at a furious pace.

Emma felt herself beginning to peak, and she didn't care about the embarrassing and wanton sounds she was making. She couldn't control them; she couldn't control anything, right now.

" _Fuck me_ , Regina…!" She begged, desperate. "Do. Not. **Stop**!"

Regina was sweating slightly, hovering over the blond, with a feral look on her face. "I've _no intention_ of stopping this…my _fucking_ you, Emma," She said, curling her fingers in a come hither motion. When she used her thumb to press down on Emma's swollen bead, Emma let out a small cry.

"That's the _last_ thing I intend to do with you…to **stop**."

Emma was sweating, and the smell of their combined arousal filled the room, waifting to Emma's nostrils. She wanted to cum…she wanted to cum, _so badly._

"Fuck! Ohhh…. I'm so fucking close!" Emma moaned, her legs wrapped around Regina's waist, as the Mayor continued to relentlessly drive into Emma's core with her right hand, and hold herself aloft with her left, resting her elbow on Emma's chest, using her hand to knead her breast.

"Cum, _damn you_!"

"I'm…I'm over aroused, Regina," panted Emma, their body's thrusting causing the headboard to beat against the wall. "I'm _too_ stimulated."

Regina's eyes darkened, as she continued to fuck the blonde. "No shit, Emma!" She panted, "I'm probably going to have to change _not_ _just the sheets_ …but the _whole damn mattress_!"

Emma looked up, eyes frustrated. "I'm so close!"

The savior frowned as she looked up at her determined lover; Regina's eyes had darkened to the point they had a purple hue. She was gritting her teeth hard in determination.

" **Emma Swan!"** Regina barked. "You need to _concentrate_ …"

Emma heard crackling, almost like…lightening.

"…Focus…"

Regina's thrusts felt warmer. Almost..hot.

"…Fix your limited attention to the fact I'm _fucking_ your hole…"

Purple light swirled from Regina's hands, as she continued to pull out, thrust in…

"Oh my god," Emma said, "Your hands!"

"SILENCE!" Regina yelled. " _Concentrate,_ Emma! **Feel** me…. **feel** what I'm doing, to _you_ …"

Emma swallowed, and closed her eyes, trying to shut out the crackling sounds Regina's hands were making with each thrust into her core. She felt the charge, like static electricity, almost…then, almost instantly, she felt Regina's magic, inside her. Emma felt a warm vibration in her core, filling her up. It was as though her body was on a current; zaps of stimulation were coursing, everywhere in her body, all at once.

 _"_ _Oh my God!"_ Emma gasped.

" **Yesssss!"** Regina hissed. " _Feel it,_ Emma… _feel_ me, in you, little girl…."

It was a rather redundant request.

Emma could register nothing _other_ than the feel of Regina _in her_. It was overpowering, overwhelming; her nipples were rock hard and her pelvis was bucking like a bronco against Regina's fingers, hungrily meeting her thrust for thrust. The sounds of Regina's hand slapping against her opening with the adjacent sounds of the sloshing of her incredible wetness and the crackling and buzz of the purple magic drowned out Emma's escalating gasps.

 **"** **Yes!** Yes! Oh, God, _there,_ Regina! Yesss…"

And with a flash of white light behind her eyes, Emma arched completely off the bed, wailing her final climax, feeling fluids coat Regina's hand, arm, the bed...everywhere.

She was no longer in control of her body, as it spasmed out the aftershocks of her climax, short-circuiting. Regina continued to slowly slide in and out, pressing harder on her inflamed bead, drawing every last bit of orgasm out of the younger woman.

The last thing Emma remembered was Regina cooing, " _Good girl_ , my Emma…" as she closed her eyes, and passed out. The intensity of her climax too overwhelming for the blonde to handle, in a conscious state.

 **To Be Continued. Please R &R.**


	7. Honey, I'm Home

**I Run This Town.  
** **Disclaimers** : Don't own Once Upon A Time, or ABC. If I did _"they 'red be some CHANGES 'round thar!"  
 **A/N:**_ Its safe to say SwanQueen Nation responds to...erm, well, _SwanQueen_ sex. I realize I'm no SapphireSmoke or Hunnyfresh, but we all start somewhere, right? So thanks for all the positive feels. And for the more directly inquisitive: Yes to the reviewer… who asked about Gold. there will be Gold (Rumples)…but not with the sex part. Ew. Also, if anyone knows how to get in touch with the mods, and has any suggestions PM me please! Small little account ISSUE. I know, I know...JFGI. (I'm alleging being spammed by those Rizzoli  & Isles shipper delinquents, causing trouble..can't we new englanders all just get along? Okay. JK.). On to the fic.

* * *

 **Chapter 6. Honey, I'm Home!**

" _Mmmmmm._ " Emma moaned, in her sleep.

She was having such a delicious sleep, filled with tantalizing visions of a sumptuous brunette bearing down, flush, with her body on Emma's own body...

Regina's body, sliding across her.

Regina's body, finally alighting, between Emma's legs.

At the apex of her sex, buried deep. Lapping her up like it was her _God Damned Job_ , instead of the job of running the town in which they both resided. That sinful body, nestled in; her face against Emma's sex; her lips, drinking her nectar, unabashedly…like it was the only nourishment she needed to sustain her.

"Mmmmmm…" Emma moaned again, wantonly, deep in slumber, responding to Regina's increased urgency.

That tongue, that tongue, god damn it… _that tongue_!

It was doing things that frankly should be illegal, in Emma' dream. Darting in and out, burrowing within her flesh and folds, lapping up the wet parts and slicking up the dry ones. Soft little hums of appreciation, coming from behind that gifted little oral muscle, and clearly enjoying Emma's personal musky taste. Regina's tounge... flicking the hood of her clitoris, then sliding down to pierce her entrance and enter her hole.

How could one little tongue just be so damned versatile?

"Oh, God, Regina….just fuck me….." Emma begged, in her sleep. It wasn't unlike what she had said, earlier, while she was awake. Emma's pleas to the brunette, begging Regina for her release. "…mmmmbnew. In me…" she mumbled.

Regina lifted her mouth off, entirely, looking at the blonde; but she did sneak her hand across Emma's pelvis, and rubbed her the swollen walnut of Emma's engorged clit furiously, stroking it and pressing the needy clit into submission while she spoke to her evenly above.

"Why do you want me to fuck you so badly, Emma? To enter you? To…own you? Have you thought about that?"

"MMmmmm….feels good…"

In her mind's eye, Emma could see those sparks of flashing purple again flying of the charged tips of Regina's fingers. It was like a sexual static electricity, and pulsed her to her core.

"Why, Emma?"

"Mmmmmm…" she moaned, in response.

Pressing harder, and faster, the older woman gritted out, "Why, Emma? _Why_ do you need me to enter you….to fuck you…?"

" _mmmm…Blsidvkesnnnn_ …" Emma mumbled, in sleep.

Emma's pelvis bucked as the purple sparks flew off Regina's fingers, and danced across the surface of her skin. Regina's magic seemed to have a real affinity for Emma, and especially her oddly soft skin. The purple magic sparked off Regina's digits, seeming to penetrate right into the hardest part of Emma's hooded clit.

Regina stopped questioning her, momentarily, while she dipped her head down to lave at her dripping opening, again. "I lick up all your wetness, Emma….all your dirty, dirty arousal….and all you do, is drip more from that needy center of yours…."

"Because you…." Emma writhed, stopping her sleepy utterances. Regina pressed the flat part of her tongue flush against her swollen clit and pressed it down, before sucking it in and giving it a mini blow job.

"Urgmfph…fuck…." Emma mumbled.

Emma always envisioned herself to be more eloquent in her dreams…the ones she remembered anyway. Now, however, all she could do was think with her sluggish brain; the one that had been nearly fucked to death by her longtime unrequited crush. (Although….clearly not so unrequited, anymore, as Emma recalled her fingers lodged deep within her core before she fell asleep…)

 _Maybe Regina sucked my brains out, through my pussy!_ The sleeping blonde mused.

But even that thought was cut short, as she felt that damned tongue again, circling around her opening, at her core.

"You taste positively delicious, Emma. I don't think I can ever stop sucking on your pussy…"

"N'gt want you to."

"Oh, Emma…just say it, and I'll put you out of your misery! Say ' _you own me Regina, and I need you to fuck me hard in my pussy_.' Say it, and this will all be over! Tell me why you need it… why you need me to fuck your hole…."

"ungh…"

"Is it because you _want_ me to own you, Emma _?"_

"Urngh….!"

"Is it because you _want_ me to fuck you, Emma?"

"Uh, uh…mmm. God!"

"Is it because you _want_ me to make you forget how to say your own name?"

"Gerblszzzuwit!" Emma mumbled, while drooling slightly. Then, more lucidly, she said, "I.. uh, faster…baby! Put your mouth on ….."

"Answer me, Emma!" Her sizzling hand was going faster, and beating down harder against the battered clit. "Answer me! Is it because you want me—"

Regina startled, as a pair of shockingly beautiful emerald green eyes shot open, and looked at hers, _completely awake._ Emma Swan was now wide awake, staring at a very naughty Mayor taking advantage of her momentary orgasam induced unconscious state. Despite all this, Emma knew exactly where she was, and what she wanted to say.

She rushed out the answer to Regina's open-ended question. "-love me! I want you to love me, Regina!"

All magic stopped. All _movement_ stopped. It was as though _time itself_ had stopped as Regina yanked her head away from Emma's core.

"Wha— _what did you say?"_ Regina asked, suddenly nervous, like her lips had been burned.

"Uh...I ...I said, I want you to love me, Regina. You are my …"

Emma started awake, sitting up from her very vivid dream. Though, when she looked around…everything thing looked much the same, including the brunette betweenh her legs, Emma's juices dripping off her chin.

"Ohmigod…Regina? Were you molesting me…in my sleep?" Emma asked, incredulous. She had thought she had been having a rather vivid sex dream, but she didn't realize it was a rather vivid sex reality... _not_ a dream.

Regina paused for a short beat. "Uh, maybe?"

"Without my conset?"

Regina seemed to get some swagger back. "Honey, _your body_ consented…"

"Not consciously! That's technically sexual harassment ."

She pulled the blonde up to her, eyes playful. "Forgive me, beautiful? I'm sorry...I couldn't resist. You looked...delicious."

The feel of her washed over the blonde. She was drowing. She was so much…the touch of her skin set Emma on fire.

How had this woman who so infuriated her, annoyed her, bugged the ever living shit out of her…how had she suddenly turned, one day, into this person she couldn't live without seeing every day?

Even if it was to tell her how incompetent law enforcement was, these days, and how good help was hard to find, Emma thought, chuckling to herself.

"I never thought you were incompetent, Emma." She placed deliberate emphasis on the "Em-MA," in the way that made chills run down her spine. "I was merely deflecting."

"Deflecting?" Emma asked.

"Deflecting, you've heard the word before, I assume, Sheriff?" Regina said, this time in a more playful, bantering manner, rather than with a biting undertone.

"Bantering. A verb, to be used with or without a proper object. To bend, to turn from a true course."

"Very good, Sheriff. In other words…not straight."

Emma chuckled. "Clearly….not straight." She smiled, roving her hands up and down Regina's delicious skin.

Then her head shot up. "Wait a minute."

"Yes?" Regina's eyes said, looking at her, amused.

"I…I didn't say that out loud."

"What?"

"I thought that…thought, you know, about you saying how incompetent law enforcement was these days….I didn't say it, out loud."

"Yes you did." Regina said, simply.

"No, I didn't" Emma said, emphatically.

Regina rolled her eyes, nonplussed. "Okay…so what?"

Emma looked at her, dumbstruck. "Okay, so what? You just read my mind, Madame Mayor! You don't think that's a little … odd?"

Regina arched her body off the bed, propping up on her elbows. "No more odd, I suppose, than the fact you were able to move a pipe off a boy would normally take a crane to lift it off."

Despite the fact she was stark naked, she still was intimidating as hell.

Emma flushed, red.

"I…uh. Well, I'm very strong."

"Clearly."

"That's all."

"Mmmm." The mayor nodded, not saying anything. Emma looked at her awkwardly, until Regina touched her check gently.

Quietly, Regina said, "Emma…I'm not judging you. It's okay if you have your…secrets. It's okay Emma."

Emma looked relieved.

"Really?"

Regina nodded. "Really." She said, sincerely.

Waiving her fingers in the air, purple charged sparks jumped between her fingers, with small sparks of light. "Besides, I hardly think I'm in a position to judge…"

Emma looked at her, suddenly, with a look of such utter devotion, it took Regina's breath away.

"Regina…" The blonde said, her voice heavy.

She moved quickly, to capture those full red lips, pressing her mouth against Regina's. The spark, the charge of electricity, that passed between their skin, and Emma pressed into her ignited her body.

"Regina…" she exhaled.

"Yes, Em-ma?"

Hazel eyes looked at brown ones, full of meaning. "Regina….I need you. I need you…in me."

"Oh, Emma…"

"And I _need to be in you_ , at the same time…"

"Yes…" Exhaled the brunette, eyes darkening.

Just as their sweaty, slick bodies were beginning to move to one another, a boisterous voice from downstairs called out.

 **"Mom!** I'm home! Coach Neil brought me home from soccer, since you were late!"

"Oh, holy hell!" Regina said, her head shooting upwards. "Fuck!" Regina beat back the comforter.

Emma looked alarmed. "What is it? Who is that calling you?"

Regina looked at her, her face unreadable.

"Emma Swan," Regina said, after a pregnant moment. "That voice? That voice is _my son_. Henry Mills."

"Oh." Emma replied.

 **TBC.**


	8. Savior, My Savior

**I Run This Town.  
Disclaimers**: Don't own Once Upon A Time, or ABC. If I did _"they 'red be some CHANGES 'round thar!"  
_ _ **A/N:**_ Thanks for those who helped me figure out what up with the snafu in my account. I know I know JFGI. Yessier. Okay moving on with this canon, yet not canon, story. Thanks for the reviews…

* * *

 **Chapter 7. Savior, My Savior**

Regina paused, her fingers buried, knuckle deep, inside the blonde, frozen.

"Your son?" Emma hissed. "Ohmigod….you spawned?"

Regina clenched her fingers slightly, while inside the blonde, causing Emma to spasm, slightly.  
"Now is hardly the time for jocularity, Sheriff." She said, pointedly. "I always knew you were a bad influence on me!" She the said, seething, while pulling her fingers from Emma's wet entrance.

The sloshing loud pop from the sudden withdrawal combined with Emma's arousal was not lost on either woman, and Emma blushed, slightly.

But that didn't mean she wasn't furious.

"Excuse me, Regina?" The blonde said, obviously insulted.

"You heard me!" Seethed the brunette, jumping out of bed, getting dressed in a rush. "Never once have I been late to pick my son up … from anything! Anything, Miss Swan! " She flashed an angry look at her. "But because of you…I have been carelessly distracted, it seems!"

She stormed off towards the door, pausing at the door to say, "Get dressed, Ms. Swan. Please be gone by the time I come back. And don't be seen, do I make myself clear?"

"What?" Emma said, propping up on her elbows in bed. "You expect me to jump out the window?"

Regina shrugged, looking intimidating as fuck. "Frankly, that's your problem. And if that's the only way…so be it. Good day, Ms. Swan."

The way she said it was so completely dismissive it infuriated Emma. Mumbling to the closed door, she said, "I believe I wasn't the one who did the molesting, this morning…you psychopath! God, what a biyatch!"

She slammed her fist down on the bed, throwing herself backwards, thinking what to do. She was throbbing with anger, as well as throbbing from unfinished business, so to speak. After her anger cooled down, as well as her jilted libido, it allowed her to ponder a bigger issue.

Mayor Regina Mills _had a son._

A child.

Wow.

SQSQSQ

"Henry, dear," Regina said, rushing up to hug him, "I'm so sorry! I never forget, I was just a little busy…"

"Ma! It's okay! Really. We tried to call you but it went straight to voicemail. Coach brought me home and told me you had some incident with the Sheriff and some kids?"

"Yes." She said grimly, noting the worried expression on his face. "But their going to be fine, Henry."

He looked at her quizzically. "What do you mean?"

"The Sheriff and I got them to Dr. Whale in time…. they're going to be fine."

"You …. And the Sheriff?" He looked confused.

As if on cue they heard light footfalls on the stairwell. All three heads turned to see the unexpected visitor walking down the stairs. Emma's face came into view, and she chuckled to see the three startled expressions all staring at her as she walked down the stairs and walked towards them.

"That's right, kid." Emma said, easily, staring directly at the young boys, and pointedly ignoring his mother.

The soccer coach interjected. "You mean, she helped you, Sheriff?" He said, bluntly .

Emma narrowed her eyes, assessing the coach. She didn't like him, for some reason, and he seemed kinda…slippery, for lack of a better word. Even though she herself was pissed at the Mayor at present, the fact that he was essentially dogging the boy's mother in front of him did not endear him to Emma.

"That's right," Emma said, coolly. "Turns out she drives a mean shotgun, when necessary. It was definitely a team effort." She eyed him, appraisingly.

"Cool, mom!" Henry said.

Coal Neil stuck his hand out. "Uh, Sheriff, I think I've gotten on the wrong foot, here. I'm Coach Neil—"

Emma waived him off. "No worries. It's fine. I'm Sheriff Emma Swan, and it was nice to meet you…but I have to be going now, I think my work is done here. So if you've got nothing further, Madame Mayor, I've got some paperwork at the station."

"No. We're done here."

"Mmm." Emma hummed. She turned to head out the door, and nearly made it….until she felt a small tug on her sleeve. Emma looked down, and saw the most beautiful set of eyes imploring her to stay. Not only did it tug on her sleeve, it tugged on her heart, for reasons unknown.

"Did you say…I'm sorry, ma'am." Henry's eyes looked up at her. "Did you say your name was…Emma Swan?" He sounded hopeful, excited, and sad…all at once.

"Yep, kid, that's correct." She held out her hand. "And you are…?"

"Henry Mills." He grasped the hand, shaking it.

"Nice to meet you."

Almost imperceptibly, Henry leaned forward, and whispered to Emma. "You came, Emma! You came!"

She crouched down, to his eye level. "What'd you say, kid? My hearing's kinda so-so, since my military days. Mind repeating yourself?"

In her peripheral vision, she could see Regina seething. She was furious that Emma had disobeyed her orders, and worse, was having a secret moment with her son!

"You came, Emma! You're the savior! The chosen one! I wished for you to come, with my last wish…I wished for my mom to come and save our town from the curse." His voice was barely audible.

Emma's eyes widened with shock. "I, uh, think you're mistaken, kid. I'm no savior…" Emma was also thinking….and I'm certainly NOT your mother!

"Yes you are." He nodded. "It's in my book. You're the savior, Emma. You're also my birth mom….I know you gave me up, against your will, eleven years ago."

Emma's throat went dry.

How was this possible?

Regina was starting to get truly agitated now, and the tension was palpable in the room. "Henry, I think we've taken enough time of the Sheriff's today. Time to let her go." She said, firmly.

He turned over his shoulder. "Just a minute, mom!" Then, he turned back to Emma, whispering, "You're destined to save our town from the curse of the Evil Queen, Emma! That's why you're the savior. "

"Hmm." Emma said, non-committal, but glad to divert the topic away from the uncomfortable options of discussing her putting up a baby for adoption in 2005. "And how do I do that?"

"You get rid of the evil queen, Emma."

"Who's that, Henry? This … Evil Queen?"

Without batting an eye, he said quietly. "My mom. Regina Mills."

The air in the house became suffocating, suddenly, and even the soccer coach looked uncomfortable. Emma quickly stood, at the boys admission, and said briskly,

"Well, it was nice meeting ya kid." And retreated, quickly, out the door and to the safety of her yellow bug.

Holy shit, this entire town was Looney Toons. Absolutely, certifiably crazy. Nuts! Emma thought.

Before she reached the drivers side of her car, Henry popped his dead out of the door, definitely.

"Emma!" He yelled, and the Sheriff looked up, briefly.

"Emma…. " His eyes searched hers out, pleading in earnest. He called out, "You may not believe in the curse, or in me, but I believe in you, Emma Swan!"

"Okay, kid. Thanks…uh, I guess." She managed a weak smile, and got into her car to drive away, wondering how much Regina was going to hate her now, after this little debacle.

But she couldn't shake the feeling eating at her stomach, as she finally did get away from the Mills estate. The feeling was that her bullshit meter hadn't pinged once the entire time the boy was talking, which bothered Emma to no end. It bothered her because of the undeniable fact that Henry Mills wasn't full of crap.

No.

Henry Mills, in fact, was telling _the truth_.

 **TBC**


	9. Changes

**I Run This Town.  
Disclaimers**: Don't own Once Upon A Time, or ABC. If I did _"they 'red be some CHANGES 'round thar!"  
_ _ **A/N:**_ Thank you for your support.

* * *

 **Chapter 8. Changes**

"Huh. Would you look at that?" August said, looking up at the clock tower.

Scaling down a large ladder was the town's new sheriff, a screwdriver between her teeth and wearing an honest-to-god tool belt, from the Home Depot in Salem, New Hampshire.

"Nice _tool belt,_ Sheriff." Ruby said, waggling her eyebrows.

"Uh, thanks?" Emma said, uncertainly, as she wiped the grease off her hands.

It didn't take long before a familiar face, one that had been decidedly ignoring her for the better part of two weeks, pushed through the crowd.

"What is the meaning of this congregation- **oh.** " The voice said. "I should have known." The well groomed woman said, with a sneer. "The _cause_ of this clusterfuck would be none other than our town's illustrious…sheriff."

The Mayor looked Emma up and down, like she smelled a moldy piece of cheese.

 _Well, I guess we're back to this,_ Emma thought to herself. Out loud, she said, "Hello…Mayor."

Murmurs went through the crowd, watching the exchange between the two. Nothing much was said, until an excited squeal was heard, either from Ruby or Belle.

 _"Holy Cow! Look! The clock tower works!"_

 _"It's working!"_

 _"The second hand…moved!"_

Emma looked up at the clock, pleased with herself. Her military training had come in handy for something, it appeared. The good sheriff could pretty much repair anything with merely a leatherman, WD40, a paperclip, and duct tape. That _broke-ass_ clock had bothered her for weeks, and she decided to do something about it, after staring at it for countless hours out her window in the Sheriff's Office.

It was a nice little exercise in keeping her mind from wandering, anyway.

"So...this is how are tax dollars are put to use, in law enforcement?" The Mayor chided.

Emma leaned in, grabbing a lapel of the Mayor's suit. "At least I'm doing my civic duty, Mayor. Better than using tax dollars to go to the dry cleaners, I suppose." She wiped off an imaginary piece of lint off the Mayor's immaculate jacket.

An "ooooooh" was heard from the crowd, until Regina's head whipped around, effectively silencing the crowd.

"Sheriff Swan doesn't take no shit." Someone murmured.

"Yeah...but that's the Evil Queen!"

"Don't matter. That's the Savior, by crackey!"

Now Emma's head whipped around, realizing that a rather large crowd had gathered, smelling blood. As much as she liked to needle the Mayor, Emma realized she would gain nothing by forcing Regina into a corner, with a public confrontation. The Sheriff raised her hand, in the air.

"Move it along, people. There's nothing to see here. You're violating state law 169.15 by impeding traffic due to congregating..." she walked over to Mr. Ernest, the town's oldest citizen who was staring at the clock, and Emma, with wonderment. With a wink, she pinched his cheek. "And I'd hate to have to arrest you rabble rousers."

Mr. Ernest actually _blushed._ "You heard the good Sheriff!" He croaked, moving his walker, hobbling back to the sidewalk.

Everyone followed suit, smiling at the Sheriff, and deliberately ignoring the Mayor. When the crowd finally dispersed, with an overly enthusiastic wave from Mr. Ernest, the Mayor and the Sheriff found themselves alone, facing off.

"So...we meet again." Emma said, nervously, shifting her weight on her heels.

Regina arched an eyebrow. "That we do, Ms. Swan."

Emma shook her head, laughing. "Of course. We're back to _that_."

"What?"

"That!" Emma gestured towards Regina, fumbling for words. "That! That crap you ... _you know._ Your overly formal manner, when shit gets too uncomfortable, between us."

Regina pursed her lips. "I'm sure I don't know what you mean...but then again, I've never really understood the mind of a child."

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Yet another example."

Regina folded her arms, taking a deliberate glare at her occasional lover, and permanent adversary. Yet, she said nothing.

Emma waited. And waited. Still, Regina said nothing, and just stared at her, stoically. No explanations why she hadn't returned Emma's calls or texts; nothing. Emma sighed, wiping the rest of the grease off of her slacks. She eyed Regina, and suddenly felt too exhausted by the entire situation to be nervous or intimated by the regal yet unapproachable woman, any longer. Defeated she raised her hand, and waived Regina off.

"Fine." Emma said, turning away.

Emma hadn't walked more than two steps when an unfamiliar sounding Regina called out.

"Wait, Emma...!" Regina said, her voice sounding absolutely broken.

Emma turned around, not believing her ears. "What did you say?"

"I said... _wait_." She looked at her, grimacing. "Please." She added.

"Hmm." Emma mused. "That's a start...I guess." She walked back to the Mayor, slowly and deliberately; her Ropers making a click click sound on the deserted pavement. The Sheriff knew good and well the majority of the downtown was likely watching their little face off, so she was cognizent of not being overly familiar with the skittish Mayor.

The one who was not looking at the Sheriff, but rather, was staring up at the clock that Emma had just fixed. "The second hand is moving..." she said, softly.

"Well, duh!" Emma said, turning to look up at it, with the Mayor. "When I said I'd fix it, I meant...I'd fix it. That's what that statement means, by definition."

The Mayor gave her an interesting look. "But...it's supposed to be unfixable, Sheriff."

Emma looked at her confused. "What the fuck does that mean?" She asked, as she crossed her arms looking at the Mayor.

"I cursed it. To stop time."

"Excuse me? My hearing's bad, from all the sniper fire back in the day...I thought you said something like, _you cursed it_ to stop time, Regina."

Her dark eyes snapped, focusing now on the Sheriff's hazel green ones, instead of the clock. "That's because I did say that, Sheriff."

Emma held up her hands, in a 'hold it right there' gesture. "Okay...woah. This town is..." Emma's words drifted off.

Regina gave her a wan smile. "...crazy?"

"Yeah, something like that. Crazy." Emma ran her fingers through her hair, and took her hairband off her wrist, and tied her hair into a messy bun on top of her head. She shook her head. "I really think I have to get outta here. Everyone's crazy...even you, it seems."

Regina smiled, and discretely took in all of the prying eyes watching them from behind curtains and shades of the various local businesses. "I can understand how you might think that, Emma. Why don't we go somewhere...a little more private?"

With a graceful upswing of both arms, billowing purple smoke appeared, enfolding them, as they disappeared from town square, right before everyone's eyes.

Granny kissed her crucifix, as she stared out of the window of the diner, along with all the patrons. "God help the Savior." She said quietly.

SQSQSQSQSQ

"What the fuck!" The blonde panted. "What th-what in holy hell was _that_ , Regina?" Emma shrieked, looking around the familiar trappings of the living room of Regina Mills' estate.

The brunette merely smiled, and sat on her couch, elegantly crossing her legs.

"That, Ms. Swan...was _magic._ " She said, simply.

"Oh, okay...then." Emma said, face white as a ghost. "Just...magic. Roger." Practically lunging at the brunette, she grabbed her by the lapels of her suit, gripping tightly. "What the hell, Regina?"

With a flick of her wrist, a spark of purple flame ignited, and Emma felt herself propelled across the room, slamming into the loveseat opposite Regina.

"Do not _grab_ , Ms. Swan." She said, deliberately. "It's unbecoming, and highly improper to handle a Queen, in such a fashion."

The grin on Regina's face was mirthful, and Emma couldn't tell if she was joking, or not. But she was positive of the fact she had been thrown across the room with a velocity more fitting of that of a linebacker, and not a toss from the perfectly manicured hand of Regina Mills. Something was definitely off.

"Okay..." Emma said, slowly. "Let's just say for practical purposes, then. You have my attention."

"Good."

Emma waited, not taking her eyes off of the Mayor, who appeared to be weighing her words, and what to say to Emma. Finally she sighed. With a resigned tone, she admitted, "I'm not quite sure where to begin, Emma."

"Well," Emma said, "how about the elephant in the room. Your kid, Regina. You know, the deluded one who thinks I am his mother?" Emma suggested.

"Yes."

"That's ridiciouslous, Regina. What-"

"It's not ridiciouslous, Emma." The brunette cut her off. "You are his mother. His birth mother, that is. But I dare say, it takes more than a womb, to be a mother. I changed every diaper, I cared for every fever, I read to him every night, Emma Swan...not you."

"Okay, you are insane." Emma said, standing up to leave. "I have to go, Regina. Thanks for this..." She said, turning for the front door.

"Sit." Regina commanded, and Emma felt herself slamming down, into the love seat. The blonde let out several expletives, which Regina promptly ignored. "I'm not done talking, Emma. The boy...my son...was right. You _are_ his birth mother. That is true. Your memories were...modified, however. That's why you don't remember."

 _"What?_ "

She watched, disbelievingly, as Regina stood up, and went into the kitchen. Emma heard her rustling around, until she found what she was looking for, and returned. She handed Emma a small flask, containing a dark colored liquid.

"Here." She said, simply.

"What's this?"

"Your memories, Emma." Regina sighed. "It's not fair, to you, to not have them...to not know, what everyone else does."

"Why does it look like Drano, then? How do I know you're not going to poison me?"

Regina sighed. "If I wanted you dead, Savior...you'd be dead. I..." she paused. "I find it just as surprising as you, that I don't want to kill you."

Emma looked at her. "Well, that's something, then...isn't it?"

She watched, as Regina gestured for her to drink, which Emma inexplicably did. She raised the peculiar little vial to her lips, winced at the smell, then hoisted it to her lips. That's the last thing she remembered, before she felt herself get woozy, then everything went black.

 **TBC.**

Duh duh duhhhhhh! I promise to update, soon. Don't hate me.


	10. The Awful Truth

**I Run This Town.  
Disclaimers**: Don't own Once Upon A Time, or ABC. If I did _"they 'red be some CHANGES 'round thar!"  
_ _ **A/N:**_ After a few of the comments, I realized it was too confusing to split the chapter up the way I did…this explains Emma's shock at seeing regina's magic in the last chapter and clears things up a bit, hopefully.

* * *

 **Chapter X. The Awful Truth**

"Oh my fuck," Emma groaned, struggling to sit up.

She immediately grabbed her head, the headache she was currently sporting so severe she thought her skull had possibly split in two.

"Ughhhhhh." She whimpered, blinking and adjusting to the light around her.

She was not in her bedroom…interesting.

She was, however, somewhere familiar. Soft sheets, plush purple duvet…four poster bed…

Ah, of course.

Regina's room.

Then, remembering the events that brought her thus, she bolted upright, looking around, frighteningly alert.

"Regina!" She hollered. " _Where the fuck_ are you?"

The silky smooth voice seated directly behind her caused her to jump slightly, in surprise.

"Right here, Ms. Swan. The same place I have been for the last twelve hours since you nosedived on my living room floor, and I brought your unconscious self hither."

Emma whirled around, pointing. "You! You…."

Regina arched her eyebrows, but said nothing.

Emma was growing angrier, by the second. She finally spluttered out, "You _stole_ my memories!"

Regina cocked her head.

Calmly, she mused, "That is one way of looking at it, I suppose."

Emma clenched her fist, ready to spring. "There is _no other_ way of looking at it, you vapid bitch! You fucking bitch, Regina! You STOLE MY MEMORIES!"

Regina said nothing, merely tapping her fingers together, observing Emma, intently. "We've established that, Emma." She sighed.

The blonde was standing up, and barely registered she had been changed into silk pajamas. She was so busy pacing, as the flood of 28 years of memories racing back into her cerebrum at a frightening pace, and the reality of what the Evil Queen had stolen from her came to her realization.

"You…you…erased my knowledge of magic….."

"Yes."

"Past _and_ present."

"Yes, Ms. Swan. And future use, too, as well."

She ran her fingers frantically through her blonde hair, the depth of Regina's deceit overwhelming her; Emma felt like she was suffocating. She looked up at Regina, her eyes wild. "What does that mean?"

Regina spoke slowly, explaining. "It means, you didn't remember magic happening…regardless of who cast it. You don't remember spells I did, right in front of you. I suspect, and have for a great while, that you yourself are capable of magic. Unfortunately, the cur-ah, t _he spell_ ," Regina corrected, "…prevented you from realizing that you did it."

"So…if you did magic say…last week…I wouldn't remember it?"

"That is correct. I believe I was not unclear." Regina said, tersely.

Emma narrowed her eyes, with quiet fury. "And now?"

Regina sighed. "Now, you have your memory back. Now, you will remember."

Emma lunged forward, grabbing Regina by the collar, and shook her, hard. Regina did nothing to stop the frantic woman, merely waiting until she was done.

" **Why**?" She yelled, growing frantic. " _Why_ would you do such a thing to me?"

If Emma had been slightly more level headed, she would have noticed the sorrow that passed through Regina's expression before she quickly schooled it into something more austere.

 _A Queen couldn't show weakness, after all._

"Because, you imbecilic…idiot!" Regina spluttered, with bite. "Because… _you asked me to_."

SQSQSQSQSQ

After two hours of back and forth, with Regina growing increasingly frustrated at having to explain the same thing over and over, she finally put a moratorium on Emma's irrational line of questioning, and decided she needed to eat something before going forward.

Regina hoped some sustenance would bring a modicum of sanity back to the crazed blonde in her bed.

So with that goal in mind, she brought up a tray of homemade chicken noodle soup, with apple slices and cheese and Italian bread, and placed it front of the blonde.

Complete with an open bottle of Sam Adams, her favorite beer.

Emma eyed it immediately, and grabbed it first, downing a large swig of the lager.

"Ahh." She said, as though it were a life saving balm for her soul. "Damn, that's good. How did you know I liked this beer?"

Regina paused, finally deciding to answer. "I'll tell you if you eat some actual food, Emma."

The blonde eyed her suspiciously, as she tore into the Italian bread, chewing vigorously. Regina rolled her eyes.

"You eat like a child."

"Yeah…you've mentioned that, before."

After the brunette was satisfied Emma had actually put enough nutrition into her body, she sighed, and said quietly,

"You told me on the first night I met you, that you loved Sam Adams beer, and would give anything for one, that moment."

"When we first met?" Emma said, looking confused. "At town hall? I don't remember anything that civil on our first meet and greet, Madame Mayor." Emma chuckled, thinking back to their instant love/hate meeting.

Regina shook her head. "No, Emma. When you were eighteen…when you had just given birth to Henry."

The bread dropped out of Emma's hand, falling into her soup. "What?" She gasped.

Then, the memories started to return, as she squeezed her eyes closed, tightly….

SQSQSQSQ

 _"_ _Ugh. What I wouldn't give, for a Sam Adams, right now?" A very exhausted looking, much younger Emma Swan moaned, looking up at the hospital ceiling, in her sweaty johnny._

 _"_ _What is that?" The gorgeous brunette in a tailored suit and heels asked, with a frown._

 _Emma rolled her tired head in the direction of the adoptive mother of her just born infant. "It's a beer, Ma'am."_

 _The brunette looked horrified. "_ _ **Tell me**_ _you didn't drink, while you—"_

 _Emma cut her off, immediately. "Of course I didn't drink, are you crazy? I've already ruined my own life…I'm not gonna screw up someone else's! I didn't drink…I didn't eat soft cheeses, I took my prenatal vitamins. And, I didn't…and don't….smoke."_

 _"_ _Well…that's something then, Ms. Swan."_

 _Emma peered up at her, with one eye open. "You always this formal, Mrs...?"_

 _"_ _Ms." Regina corrected._

 _"_ _Ms."_

 _Regina smiled. "It's Ms. Mills. And yes, I have been told in no uncertain terms that I'm rather…formal."_

 _Emma gave her a tired smile. "Maybe you could use a Sam Adams, too, then…Ms. Mills."_

 _They sat in uncomfortable smile, while the social worker quietly excused herself to complete some paperwork and answer several calls._

 _"_ _You two going to be okay?" She asked, hesitantly._

 _"_ _Of course. Why wouldn't we be?" Regina said, with a formal smile._

 _"_ _Sure. Whatever." Emma agreed, looking out the window._

 _When the social worker left, Regina went and locked the door. Walking back towards the blonde who had her head turned, she tapped the younger woman on the shoulder._

 _"_ _Here," she offered._

 _Emma turned, her eyes widening at the offered ice-cold Sam Adams stout._

 _"_ _What the-?" She said, her eyes growing wide. Looking up at the formal Ms. Mills, the adoptive mother of her child, Emma's mouth dropped._

 _"_ _How did you…?"_

 _Regina shrugged. "Eh…magic, I guess." She chuckled. Her eyes grew serious. "Ms. Swan, you do realize this is a closed adoption, yes?"_

 _Emma looked down. "Yes."_

 _"_ _That means no contact…do you understand?"_

 _Emma nodded._

 _Regina patted her on the shoulder. "Good."_

 _Emma just looked out the window, and mumbled, "it doesn't mean I'm happy about it, though."_

 _Regina snorted. "Happiness is overrated, my dear. The quest for the mythical happiness makes people do…foolish things, I'm afraid."_

 _Emma looked at her. "You sound very cynical, Ms. Mills."_

 _The older woman merely arched an eyebrow. "This…coming from you?"_

 _"_ _Just because I've made bad choices, doesn't mean I don't have hope. That I don't want a happy ending, someday! Don't you?"_

 _Regina sat on her bed, looking at the blonde. "Ah, you're quite the optimist, Ms. Swan. Suffice to say, I don't believe in finding my happy ending. I believe in creating MY happy ending."_

 _Emma paused._

 _"_ _That's not a bad philosophy, I guess."_

 _"_ _Not everyone would agree with you, I'm afraid…" she chuckled, darkly. "Especially if it comes at the expense of others."_

 _"_ _What do you mean?" Emma eyed her, curiously._

 _"_ _Take your baby, for example." Regina begin, thoughtfully. "Some would say his rightful place is with you, Emma Swan. That its not my right to take him from you."_

 _Emma shook her head. "That's nuts! I…I'm giving him…to you."_

 _The regret in the young woman's voice was palpable. It caused Regina pause. The young woman's regret was so thick, that even the callous Regina Mills had to ask._

 _"_ _Why?"_

 _Emma looked at her, responding with, "Because, Ms. Mills. I want him to have a better life. He'll have that….with you."_

 _"_ _Are you so sure about that?"_

 _Emma nodded firmly. "Yes. And don't make me second guess myself. It's hard enough not to rip up those papers…" Emma shook her head, and grabbed the beer, finally, from Ms. Mills._

 _She took a long swig. "Oh my God….that's orgasmic!" She closed her eyes, ignoring the amused chuckle from the room._

 _"_ _You're quite entertaining, Ms. Swan."_

 _"_ _Please. Call me Emma, damn it! We're practically….family, in a way." She drank a long drink, noticing the grimace from the brunette._

 _Emma laughed. "Don't worry. I won't be showing up for Thanksgiving dinner, lady."_

 _Regina looked at her. "You have no idea what a true statement that was, that you just made, my dear…Emma."_

 _She stood up, smoothing her skirt out, and walked to the door. She gave a reflective look back towards the girl on the bed. Much to her surprise, the girl was crying, softly; and more surprising, it actually bothered Regina that she was doing so._

 _"_ _Ms. Swa—uh, Emma? Everything…okay?"_

 _"_ _No, everything is NOT okay! I'm eighteen, I'm giving away my baby…to a stranger!" She grimaced. "This is so fucked up, on so many levels…"_

 _Regina paused. "If it helps, I promise that your baby will want for nothing, Emma."_

 _"_ _No, it doesn't." She said, frowning. "What would help, is if I could just forget this. Forget all of it. Forget I gave birth and gave up…forget that I met you, Ms. Perfect-I-Can-Do-Better-For-Your-Kid-Than-You! Forget it fucking all!"_

 _Then Emma looked out the window, her jaw quivering, silent again._

 _Regina spoke after a long moment. "Do you mean that, Emma?"_

 _"_ _Yes!" She blurted out._

 _"_ _If I could make you …. Forget, say? Would you want me to?"_

 _Emma looked over at the immaculately dressed woman. "What, are you like, God?" Emma snorted._

 _Regina smiled. "Something like that. But just say it were possible…would you really want that?"_

 _"_ _I said yes…I meant yes!"_

 _Regina nodded. "So be it."_

 _With a wave of her hand, a large billowing cloud of purple rose from the ground, to the surprised expression of the blonde in the bed._

 _"_ _Holy crap!" She exclaimed, gripping tightly to her lone bottle of beer._

 ** _TBC_**


	11. The Prophecy

**I Run This Town.  
Disclaimers**: Don't own Once Upon A Time, or ABC. If I did _"they 'red be some CHANGES 'round thar!"  
_ _ **A/N:**_ Thanks for the nice reviews. No real notes, other than to say this follows some of the Season 1  & 2 season, but is obviously slightly divergent.

* * *

 **Chapter 11. The Prophecy**

"Regina…" Emma exhaled. "I…I don't know what today."

The woman sat, quietly in a chair in the corner, not approaching Emma, for fear of startling her. She remained still as she said, "Yes. It is rather a lot to take in, all in one sitting."

They sat, quietly, looking at one another, in uncomfortable silence. When Emma finally couldn't stand it any longer, she blurted out, "Why were you there? Why did you come adopt my baby? MY baby?"

Emma, despite being so overwhelmed, had zeroed in immediately on the critical question.

Why did Regina adopt the Emma Swan's baby?

Regina looked down at her hands, quiet.

It was only because Emma had grown to know her so well that she even picked up the slight tremor of the dark woman's hands, and overall tense demeanor.

Finally, Regina answered, "For selfish reasons, I'm afraid."

Emma raised her eyebrows, folding her arms across her chest. "Enlighten me."

In spite of the onus of responsibility that Regina bore, she couldn't resist getting a dig in. "Ms. Swan…I'm afraid there simply are not enough hours in the day to comply with your request, if your past failed learnings are any indicator."

Emma scowled, but caught the slight upward quirk of Regina's lips.

"Ha ha ha. You're a _real_ laugh, Regina."

Another quirk of the lips. "I can honestly say, that's the first time I've been accused of _that_ , Ms. Swan."

"Answer my question. Being selfish is just…your state of being, Regina. Not an answer."

Regina cocked her head. "Ms. Swan…you've just learned of the improbable existence of magic. Real magic. Not only does your occasional …." Regina seemed to stumble, slightly, "lover, possess it; but I just told you that likely you possess it as well."

"Yeah, so?"

Regina looked astonished. "That's monumental, Emma Swan! And yet, you focus on the nearly trivial human question of why I adopted your son?"

"Yes, Regina. Because of all of that crap…Henry is actually the most important thing, of all, your majesty." Emma had bite in her voice as she stated Regina's former title.

Regina winced at that, realizing Emma now had some memories of the Evil Queen's dubious past. How much remained to be seen; but there was enough to ensure that wouldn't be a good thing, even hearing about it, secondhand.

Sighing, she agreed. "He is, indeed." Regina agreed, immediately. "Or…one of them, anyway."

"Answer my question, Regina, you owe me that."

Regina nodded. "This is going to be a bit of a long story, Emma. Are you sure you're up for that?"

Emma leaned back, getting comfortable, an insolent look on her face.

"I've nothing but time, Regina. And for once, I'd like a truthful answer from you. No bullshit."

Regina nodded, and spoke.

"Once upon a time, there was a young woman…."

SQSQSQSQSQ

 _…_ _There was a young woman, who had a lovely but weak-minded father, and a power-hungry mother, who would stop at nothing to achieve the status and station to which she felt she was entitled. These were different times, and women had no say regarding their lot in life; and despite their family's wealth, this young woman was no different than the poorest scullery maid, in that she had to accept the decree of her parents, when they arranged a marriage for their daughter. Furthermore, it wasn't to any man…it was to the King._

 _Refusal was impossible._

 _Despite the fact she was in love with a young man named Daniel, this woman had the misfortune of intriguing the King's daughter, who craved a mother since her own had died when she was young. So the Princess, Snow White, begged her father to marry the young woman—who was not much older than Princess Snow—and also broke the woman's confidence, and told the evil mother of her love for Daniel._

 _Within a few short weeks, Daniel was murdered by the evil mother, and the woman was a new wife, a new mother, and Queen of the land._

 _And yet, she had no power._

 _She was taken, by the vile older man, King Leopold, viciously…every night. He beat her, first with his hands, and then with anything he would find. It would be worse after he started drinking Meade and Wine. She did not produce an heir…which, had the kingdom been here, it would have been realized it was because the King was sterile, after his meningitis the year before he married the new queen. She was locked in her room, and her evil mother had learned dark magic and warded off the grounds so she could never escape. Her evil mother demanded she learned the dark arts, and would torture her mercilessly._

 _Meanwhile, she had to put on a smiling face for everyone, and entertain her step-daughter, who was oblivious to the hell she had banished her to for eternity. The king's healers had a particularly difficult time putting her back together after an especially brutal coupling…and the young woman decided, never again. Never. She killed the king, and ruled the lands, instilling the fear that her mother demanded. Her magic and power grew, and she was rightfully feared and hated. Though she was no longer locked in her room, she was just as much of a prisoner as she ever was._

 _One day, a threat to her monarchy emerged that she had to address. The child of true love had been born, to the Charmings. The baby daughter of Snow had been born, and an evil imp came to the Evil Queen, and gave her a warning._

 _He explained a prophecy had been made, regarding the Charming's baby, and the Evil Queen. The imp, Rumplestiltskin, explained the prophecy predicted that the baby girl would be known as the Savior. The Savior would be the champion and the defender of the people, and would be dearly loved. Most importantly, this alleged savior, together with her son, would succeed in vanquishing the Evil Queen. The Savior would forever rid the land of the Evil Queen's existence, and her evil legacy._

 _Well, the Evil Queen grew fearful. She did not want to be murdered. The imp encouraged her to end the prophecy by killing the Savior when she was most vulnerable…as a baby. So she appeared in the Charming's bedroom chambers, prepared to take the Imp's advice._

 _She had her arm raised, prepared to use her awful magic, to strike the baby Princess dead, but then something happened._

 _The Evil Queen looked down at the cooing baby. The happy little infant, babbling in her little bassinette, looked up at the Evil Queen who was preparing to murder her on the spot, and that idiotic little baby didn't something typically idiotic…_

 _She_ _ **smiled**_ _… at the Evil Queen._

 _Completely unafraid, even as a babe, she looked up at Evil Queen, being one of the only ones fearless enough to take her on…even then._

A single tear rolled down Regina's cheek, and she took a moment to collect herself before continuing.

 _Well, perhaps the Savior was aptly named, and perhaps she had powerful light magic, even then. For the darkest of hearts, the heart of the Evil Queen, fell in love with that perfect baby, on the spot. She couldn't kill the infant, even if she would be the one to someday kill the Evil Queen._

 _Instead, she banned the infant to a land without magic. However, the infant's parents didn't view this as the benevolent act that it actually was…they tried to kill the Evil Queen, unsuccessfully. Their taunts and insults, especially from Snow White, caused the situation to escalate. The Evil Queen did the darkest magic of all, under the direction of the Evil Imp, who was a master of dark magic. With the help of the evil imp, she cursed the Enchanted Forest, and banished them to their own hell…_

 _Storybrooke, Maine._

 _No magic, no memories, and most importantly…no happy endings._

 _Twenty eight years went on, in utter sameness, and the Evil Queen ruled, as the Town's Mayor. Snow was a school teacher named Mary Magdalene…_

Emma's jaw dropped. " **What the fuck?"** She gasped. "MM is my _fucking_ mother?"

Regina nodded, adding, "…Yes. And David is your father," before she continued telling the story.

 _The Evil Queen thought that she had broken the prophecy, but she began to doubt, because the imp appeared to her again, in their time frozen town of Storybrooke.,_

 _In the real world, the Savior had still managed to create the life that would be destined to destroy the Evil Queen, with her. After eighteen years of being sent away, the Savior gave birth to a baby boy. Again, the imp goaded her, reminding her of the Evil Queen's past failure assassinating the Savior, reminding her it had been ill-advised. He told her she now had a rare second chance to remedy that mistake._

 _She could_ _ **kill**_ _the Savior's baby…ending the prophecy._

 _So once again, she appeared in a room with a newly created life, this time…_

 _"_ I'm familiar with this part," Emma growled. "I was there."

Regina looked at her, neutrally. "Yes, Emma. You were. But you didn't hear my side of it." Regina continued.

 _Once again, she gazed upon the Savior, who was exhausted from childbirth, and sleeping. And once again, this magical being enthralled the Evil Queen. Despite her circumstances and her grueling childbirth, she was absolutely the most beautiful thing the Queen had ever laid her eyes on…evil. Her black heart felt a twinge of pain, unfamiliar with the strange emotions this woman caused, in her._

 _And once again, she gazed upon a bassinette, containing a young baby. This time it was a boy, but he was no less magical and entrancing to the Queen than his mother had been, eighteen years prior. The Queen knew she could not kill the infant this time, any more than she couldn't kill the Savior, as a baby either._

 _Her mind raced to try to find a way to thwart the Prophecy, without murder. So she opted to separate the infant from its mother, instead becoming it's mother, instead. The Evil Queen thought that under her tutelage, the Savior's baby would be unable to fulfill the prophecy…especially if she kept them separated. Foolishly, she went even further, as well…something the evil imp would remind her of, every chance he would get. She felt a pull to the Savior, and responsible for her circumstance…so she exhausted her magic that day, in order to give the Savior the gift._

 _The gift of happy memories._

 _For reasons beyond her comprehension, she modified the Savior's past, and gave her a different future. Yes, she modified her memories….yes, she obscured her understanding of magic, for self preservation…that is true. But she gave her a different path, one more in line with her destiny. She became the Savior she was destined to be….just, not to the subjects of the Enchanted Forest. The Evil Queen hoped that might be enough, for the Savior, and might help absolve her of this unfamiliar feeling of guilt and regret that felt so unfamiliar to her before._

 _However, fate might be the one thing more powerful than magic, and the Evil Queen should have realized that truth._

 _The boy grew up, and the Evil Queen loved him, with her entire being. Over time, the Evil Queen was becoming….less evil, due to the power of the little boy. However, it started to unravel when the boy was given a Fairy Tale book, telling everyone's story that lived in Storybrooke. It even told of the Evil Queen and a person called the Savior, who would come and destroy her, and free the cursed land. His knowledge of it started to undo the curse, in small ways…but without the Savior, the curse would not be broken, fortunately._

 _But he was smart, and curious…eventually, he was granted one wish by the evil Imp, now known as Mr. Gold. Without realizing whom exactly he was summoning, he wished for his birth mother to come, and save him from the Evil Queen._

 _Much to the Evil Queen's shock, the Savior, Henry's birth mother, came to Storybrooke._

"But…but…YOU recruited me, Regina!" Emma blurted out. "Your office recruited me!"

"My OFFICE did, Emma." Regina said, tersely. "That does not mean I did. Someone did this, and put my signature to that letter…I suspect Gold was behind it. He was magically bound to Henry to grant his wish, of bringing you to Storybrooke."

"Oh." Emma said, quietly.

 _The Savior came, and the Evil Queen had no idea what to do. The evil imp hissed in her ear that she must kill them both, or suffer herself as a result. But the first time that the Evil Queen laid eyes on the fully grown up Savior, her breath caught. Growing up, with the destiny she had been meant to…the Savior was so beautiful, the Queen could not speak. She could not breathe. She could not think…she had been hopelessly captured, by those green eyes._

 _So she hoped keeping them apart would be enough, as well as keeping her distance from the Savior._

 _But, it would appear, the Savior had her own ideas, regarding these matters._

Regina snorted, giving a good-natured glare towards Emma, who mustered an smirk in response.

 _And the Savior found every possible way to orbit the Evil Queen. Every time the Queen turned around, the Savior would be ….there. She must have cast an enchantment on the Queen, for the Queen couldn't help but to be intreguided by her idiotic ways. Amused. And…enchanted. She could no longer fight her attraction to the Savior; so she didn't._

 _Well, before she knew it, the curse began unraveling, much faster. All around her, people started remembering. People started having snippets of their happy endings. And then, the Savior did it…she fixed the town clock._

 _She fixed the God-damned town clock, that fucking idiot!_

 _The Evil Queen knew her time was drawing near…and she decided it would be on her terms. So she restored the Savior's memories, as well as her use of magic…even though it would result in her likely demise. She couldn't help it…._

Her voice was shaking, and she was legitimately crying. She paused.

Emma looked at her curiously. "Why did the Evil Queen do it, Regina? Why did she decide to restore the memories?"

Regina looked at her, miserably. "Let me finish telling the story."

"Okay," Emma said sympathetically. "Continue…please."

 _The Evil Queen couldn't help it, because she had fallen in love with the Savior. If she had been honest with herself, she had probably been in love with the Savior since she first laid eyes on her, as a frightened eighteen year old; but it is of no consequence, really._

 _The Evil Queen resolved herself. Long ago, the evil imp told her that the admission of true love, followed by a seal of true love's kiss, would break the curse over Storybrooke. The Evil Queen surmised that shortly after that, the Savior and her offspring would then be able to complete the prophecy, and….end her. The End._

"The end? What the hell kind of ending is that, Regina?"

Regina looked miserable. "The only ending I can live with, anymore."

"What?"

Regina took a long breath, then stood up. With a fearless voice, she looked at the Savior, and said,

"I'm here to end the curse, Emma. But I need your help."

She held out her arms, hands waiting for Emma.

Emma stood up slowly, thinking over this insane fairy tell in her mind. However, she walked over to Regina, and took her hands, in response.

Holding the brunette's hands firmly, she said, "Okay, then. Okay." Emma looked Regina in the eyes, and said a firm, "Regina Mills….I love you."

She stared at Regina intently, but she said nothing.

Tears rolled down Regina's cheek, but she didn't break her gaze.

"Regina," Emma said. "Uh…there's two parts to this. You need to say your part."

Regina frowned at Emma. "I know that, you idiot." She looked away. "I'm not going to lie, Emma. It's killing me inside, that you're so willing to do this. To end the curse…"

"Why?"

"Because…you know that means my demise, Emma. And you don't seem bothered by it, at all…and that hurts." She said, quietly.

Emma dropped her hands, instead clutching Regina's cheeks with her hands.

"Look at me, Regina." She demanded.

Regina did, with a miserable glare.

"Regina Mills, I need you to say your part, and end this curse. I need you to help me end it, because it was the wrong thing to do, in the first place. You cursed this town…and regardless of the validity of your reasons, you _don't_ and didn't….have that right. So I need you to make this right, now…for both your subjects, and for _you_ , Regina. Because it's the right thing to do…"

"Spoken like the true white knight you are…" Regina spat out.

She felt Emma's thumbs stroking her cheeks, tenderly. "No, it's for reasons that are quite selfish, actually. I need you to be better, Regina. I need you to be… okay."

Regina looked up at her, her eyes furious.

"How can I be okay, Emma, when I'm dead?"

Emma merely smiled, her stupid, idiotic Savior smile that Regina detested, on most days.

"Regina," Emma said deliberately, "I need you to say your part, please….it will be okay. I have a plan."

Regina looked at her, exasperated.

"Trust me, okay? I'm the damn Savior, right? So I'm going to do that, Regina."

Regina frowned at Emma's words. Emma just nodded, practically giddy.

"Regina, you keep forgetting that I am the Savior…and I'm going to do just that. It will be all right, I swear! Regina…. I'm going to save you."

Emma gave a broad grin to the trembling brunette.

The blonde continued. "Now say y _our_ part, please, then kiss me, Madame Mayor…"

 **TBC.**


	12. The Prophecy Aftermath

**I Run This Town.  
Disclaimers**: Don't own Once Upon A Time, or ABC. If I did _"they 'red be some CHANGES 'round thar!"  
 **A/N:**_ Okay, a few liberties…I admit.

* * *

 **Chapter 12. The Prophecy Aftermath**

"Regina…" Emma held up her hand. "Hang on a sec. Forgot something important, damn it all to hell!"

 _"Language,_ Savior…" Regina admonished.

Emma rolled her eyes, then looked apologetic. "Hey…I need to make 2 calls, first. Keep that thought…" she grinned her idiotic grin, holding up a finger, as she walked backwards, pulling out her phone, and bound out of the room.

 _Of course_ , she bumped into the archway on her way out.

Regina looked at her, curious; Emma walked into another room talking covertly but she did manage to hear a few snippets.

 _"….yeah, it's me…"  
_ _"Uh-huh. Operation Quill is **on** …I repeat, Operation Quill is ON…."  
_ _"…yup. You remember what you need to bring…? Okay, I'll call the driver…"_

She heard more murmurings, several uh-huh's, and then a final request to hurry, then the Savior hung up the phone.

 _She's awfully perky, to be orchestrating my demise_ , the regal woman thought, sadly.

But there was a tiny little corner of her heart that _hoped._ Hoped that perhaps…just perhaps…Emma Swan was the savior of _everyone_ of Storybrooke…including the Evil Queen, that cursed them there, in the first place. She sighed, resigned to her fate. She no longer felt commanding, she no longer felt above the peasants; she just felt tired. Tired of fighting, tired of killing, and mostly, tired of denying what she felt for that irritating and determinedly crass blonde slinking back with a knowing grin, with that stupid red leather jacket and skin tight jeans.

How Regina loved those skin tight jeans…

She allowed herself the luxury of watching Ms. Swan re-enter the room; licking her lips, she felt herself beginning to heat up, slightly. Those jeans…they should be illegal.

Her eyes trailed up the jeans, and she noted Emma had undone her jacket; it hung open, revealing a light blue tank that looked like it was three sizes too small. Regina arched her eyebrow. "I see you're branching out…no white, uh, what do you call it, Ms. Swan…?"

"Wifebeater?" Emma grinned. Her face then fell, remembering Regina's harrowing tale. "..which is in incredibly inappropriate taste," Emma corrected, quickly. "They're called 'tanks,' Regina."

"Tanks. Hm." Regina said, her eyes roving appreciatively over Emma's too tight top. The intense look caused Emma's nipples to harden, slightly, which of course Regina noticed. "I rather like the…tanks, on you, Ms. Swan. Especially something other than white."

Emma looked down, blushing slightly, when she saw how obvious Regina's attention interested her.

"Well, uh," Emma did what she did when nervous; she babbled. "It used to be white, actually. Funny thing, that! See, Mary mixed up the whites with her teacher's smock, and she had a bunch of crayons in the pockets, and well, boom! Ya know…."

Regina arched an eyebrow. "No. I do not know."

Emma grimaced. "Yeah, you've probably never messed up a load of laundry in your life, I'd imagine…"

"No. Why would I? It only requires a modicum of actual attention to detail, Ms. Swan. Now come here. Let me see if the impromptu dye job has already set…."

Emma complied, and Regina's hands immediately grabbed the bottom of the shirt, examining it closely. She frowned, as Emma wriggled out of her jacket, tossing it haphazardly to the side, while Regina inspected. The brunette made an annoyed little murmur but continued to look at it, frowning.

"I'm afraid it's set in, Emma."

Emma shrugged. "Eh, it's just a tank. They're like…five bucks. It's no big."

Regina shook her head, in disbelief. "I'm in love with an inarticulate idiot." She sighed. "How did this happen?"

Emma grinned. "You're lucky, that's how."

"I'm lucky, you think...that my standards have apparently fallen to the level of being…intimate…with someone wearing a garment that cost little more than the loose change in my automobile cushions?" She looked at Emma with disbelief.

Emma looked at her, wide eyed, then she laughed.

Actually _laughed._

"Regina," Emma said, when she could articulate over her giggles,"you and I both know there is not one scrap of dust, much less loose change in your seats! "

"True," Regina pursed her lips.

"And secondly…the better the salad, the less dressing you need, to make it taste good…know what I'm sayin'?"

Regina rolled her eyes.

"Hey!" Emma said, finally sober from her laughing fit. "You keep rolling your eyes, like that, and those peepers of yours are gonna get stuck."

Regina said nothing, instead rolling them again for good measure.

"I mean it! Then you'll be sad, cause you'll have missed this…" She pulled her blue tank top off, all together, and pitched it in the direction of the wastebasket in the corner. She stood there, her gorgeous body on display, with a tight red push-up wonderbra, underneath. Regina marveled, eyes grazing across the expanse of skin, toned abs, and delicious cleavage.

Her voice was deeper as she merely noted, "Yes, I agree, Ms. Swan. That does seem like it might be…a real misfortune."

The room was heavy, all of a sudden, the obvious sudden flare of attraction kindling between them. Emma walked over to Regina, deliberately, then suddenly pounced on Regina's lap, surprising the older woman.

"You're going to have to hurry with it." Emma advised.

"With what?"

"With _sucking my tits,_ like you know you want to do…." Emma said, her eyes riddled with lust. She ground her pelvis into Regina's, slightly for emphasis. "…cause, really, Regina…don't think I didn't notice the fact you haven't once looked at my eyes, since I walked back in here."

Regina finally looked up, glaring into Emma's eyes.

"Busted!" She said, playfully, as she reached back behind her, unclasping her own bra with one hand. As it dropped off her body, her beautiful breasts spilled out, redirecting Regina's focus.

"Oh, God…." Regina moaned, her hands immediately reaching up, grasping the perfect globes. She kneaded Emma's breasts, enjoying the grunts she caused in the blond, as she manipulated her breasts and pinched the nipples; finally; she couldn't resist and placed her mouth, hungrily over Emma's right nipple.

"Mmmmm," Regina moaned, as Emma released several "ohgodohgodohgod's" in a row, feeling the woman's needy mouth suck the nipple furiously , while her tongue swirled and flicked. Her hand was occupied with the breast that wasn't being sucked, and Emma felt her center becoming increasingly wet.

However, when Regina pulled her mouth off, with a pop, and looked up at Emma with her feral desire, eyes black and pupils blown, Emma's breath hitched.

Regina's hands went to the outer edges of each of Emma's breasts, where they hung, over Emma's mouth, and growled.

"Emma…" she moaned, before pushing the breasts together, hard, and mashing them flush against one another. Her voracious mouth opened wide, and the dark Queen latched onto the breasts, circling both of them, at once.

"Fuck!" Emma yelled, bucking her center into Regina's.

She didn't care she was dry humping the mayor, and that she was the only one naked, from the waist up.

Who cares, when her fucking incredible mouth was doing THAT?

"Oh, fuck….Regina…just, _fuck…_." She moaned, her eyes closing.

Regina murmured her agreement, and sucked so hard, the nipples stayed in her mouth as she removed her right hand, and lowered it towards Emma's snap of those sinful skinny jeans.

Before Emma even registered the fact, Regina had undone her pants, and her hand was underneath her boy boxers, and demanding fingers were circling her clit as she bucked into Regina's lap, wildly.

"Oh fuck, oh fuck… **.fuck,** Regina!" Emma moaned, feeling her climax beginning to approach. She was bucking, wildly, into Regina's lap; while her mouth sucked so furiously she was sure her nipples would be bruised, in the morning. "I'm _so fucking wet,_ for you…" Emma groaned. "Finish me…please, Regina…"

Emma felt Regina grind down hard, on top of her swollen bead, and it was enough friction for Emma's release to come sweeping across her sensibilities, and she cried out Regina's name, over and over, before stilling, face buried in the older woman's neck and hair, gasping.

Regina pulled her mouth off of Emma's sore breasts, but kept her right hand in the Savior's pants resting lightly over the spent core. Emma pulled herself sleepily off the older woman's shoulder, giving her a dopey grin.

"You're amazing, Regina."

"I am aware of that fact, Miss Swan."

Now it was Emma's turn to roll her eyes, right before she laid a sloppy kiss on the mayor's lips.

"Mmmm…" Regina moaned, pressing harder into Emma. As she began to deepen the kiss, a loud knock reverberated across the entire 1st floor.

"Shit!" Emma yelled, hopping off Regina like she was a hot stove. "They're **here,** already!"

She began hunting for her discarded clothes, redressing quickly, before Regina finally asked, "Which ill mannered associate of yours, exactly, is it …" More knocks, growing louder, were heard by both women. "…that's trying to break down my door, right now, Ms. Swan?"

Emma grinned, fluffing out her hair, as she headed towards the front door. She gave Regina a quick look answering simply, "…that? Oh, that's just the rest of Team Swan Queen...they're here to help." She hollered over her shoulder, "I told you I had a plan!"

 **SQSQSQSQ**

Confused, Regina watched as a parade of Emma's idiot friends paraded into her house, making themselves at home.

Dumbfounded, she watched David, Ruby and Granny, Katheryn, and Jefferson march in with equipment, weapons, and coolers. They all wore hunting vests with the words "Storybrooke Sheriff's Department" on them, and lined with Kevlar; they wore boots and ammo belts. They all looked ready for a standoff, although Ruby had fashioned hers into a halter top.

"What's all this?"

"Shit _we need_ ," David answered, grimly, "...and Granny's food, incase there's a siege." He handed out the munitions and nodded firmly, to the people who scattered throughout the house to watch the perimeter. Granny was setting up some complicated looking communications in the living room, and doing a sound check; David had positioned himself at the front porch.

She looked at the former Prince Charming, brow furrowed. "Charming." She murmured. "What are you….?"

The question went unasked. He nodded, in understanding. "I believe in true love," was his answer, as he set his jaw. "And I trust my daughter."

She gasped, realizing the weight of what he said, and she stood, frozen.

"Hey!" Emma said, bursting into the room. "We're missing one! Where's the pointman?"

Regina looked at the exchange between father and daughter, until they all were interrupted by a breathless yell, bursting through the front door.

"Sorry!" Panted Henry, practically dry heaving, carrying a huge backpack. "I had a hard time sneaking out!"

Emma nodded, ruffling his hair. "Good job, Kid. You know what to do."

Regina finally weighed in. "What is going on?" She exploded. "You will not have MY son—" she caught herself, momentarily. "Er, OUR son, Emma, enacting some harebrained scheme of yours, that will only lead to…"

 _"Mom!_ " Henry shouted, quieting the room. He looked around. "I mean, Moms…sorry. Look, uh… _Mom Regina…_ there's not time." He set his backpack down, at Granny's table. "Argue later."

"And it has to be him." David finished.

 **"No!** There is nothing so important that endangering a child –"

 _"Ma!"_

 _"Regina!"_

The Savior and the Savior's son both urged Regina at the exact same moment. Emma placed a hand on Regina's arm, and small tendrils of blue smoke wafted up towards the ceiling at the contact, white sparks shooting everywhere. Wisps of purple smoke wafted out last.

Regina and Emma looked at each other, startled.

 _"Cool."_ Granny said, putting headphones over her ears, and finishing her sound check. "Enough chitty chat. Let's get a move on, people." She groused.

Henry was done, setting up next to Granny. He had pulled out the large tomb of fairy tails out, the weathered brown spine of the large book nearly falling apart. "Ma…uh, I need the ink…" he said, looking apologetic.

"Oh, right! Sorry, kid." She walked over to him, giving Regina a firm "stay put" glare, and Henry pulled out a large quill, and empty ink pot.

"Ready?" Emma asked.

"Yup."

The savior pulled out her knife, from the hidden pocket of her red leather jacket, and cut a large slash into her left arm, wincing slightly.

Regina watched, in horror, as Henry caught the dripping blood, into his ancient looking inkwell.

"That's good, Ma, thanks."

Granny handed her a handkerchief, with a nod, and Emma pressed it against the laceration, stopping the blood, temporarily. She plopped down, next to Regina on the couch, looking pale.

"Ugh. That hurt." Emma groaned, quietly.

Regina's head whipped back and forth, between her sheepish looking girlfriend, with a self inflicted laceration, bleeding on her couch; and her son, deep in concentration, biting on his tongue as he scribbled furiously, writing on the blank pages in the back of the book and ignoring her, completely.

 _"What the hell_ is going on, Emma?" Regina said, furious.

"I…" She swallowed. "Well, uh…the prophecy…."

"What about the prophecy?" Regina asked, eyes furious, and looking increasingly dangerous.

"We knew about it, Regina." David said, quietly.

"WHAT?" Regina's eyes were wild, looking around the room in disbelief.

He nodded, and Emma looked even more sheepish. David continued, noticing his daughter was a little tongue tied. "We did. We thought it meant the same thing you did, Regina. Emma was so sad…but it wasn't until Henry took a look at it, again, and realized something important…."

 _"You let Henry hear about it?"_

David chuckled. "He brought it to our attention!"

"Smart kid." Granny interjected.

David continued, matter of fact. "He realized that it was worded, very carefully. Gold's pretty slick…"

"…A damn weasel, if you ask me!" Granny added, before barking instructions to someone on the lawn.

Regina was trying to process their words. "What do you mean?"

Emma took her hands, after tying the handkerchief into a pressure dressing on her arm. "It means, it talks about vanquishing the Evil Queen. Getting rid of the Evil Queen's legacy…right?"

"Yes," Regina said, sighing. She had thought about the damn prophecy so much, it haunted her. She really didn't need a refresher, at the moment, looking at Emma, painfully.

Emma looked thoughtful. "Right.…but _no where_ does it say the Savior specifically **kills** the Evil Queen, does it?" Emma looked at her, meaningfully.

"I…it…uh," Regina frowned, thinking hard.

 **"No.** _No_ is the answer. It doesn't say that, Regina." Emma said, emphatically. "It never says 'I kill the Evil Queen', outright….right?"

Regina's eyes registered her meaning. "It doesn't…you get rid of her." Her eyes brightened. "You get rid of …the Evil Queen."

Emma squeezed her hands, tightly, eyes full of love.

"Right. Exactly. But you know, Regina…you haven't really been the Evil Queen, in years…." Emma looked over at Henry, writing furiously, the meaning _not lost_ on Regina. "So, most of the heavy lifting's been done, you know what I'm sayin? And while I can't credit for it all…I think Henry did a lot; I guess I did a little…but frankly, Regina _…you_ did most of the work actually."

"And Emma gets the credit.! God, she's such a Charming!" Teased Granny, giving Regina a wink.

Tears were falling down Regina's face, as she sat in stunned silence. "What are you saying, Emma?"

"I'm saying _, true love_ got rid of the Evil Queen. True love, between…you, and me, and our son. That's fact. You love us," she gestured to Henry, and herself, and looked at Regina meaningfully. "Being capable of that kind of love, Regina? Well, no Evil Queen has that capacity. The Evil Queen is **dead** … _long live_ Regina Swan-Mills!"

"Hooray!" Came voices from the back hallway, sounding like some of of the dwarves.

"Excuse me?" Regina huffed. "Regina _Swan-Mills?!"_

"Just teasin'" Emma grinned. "And that's what you take away from this? Really?"

An awkward standoff was avoided when the young pointman spoke up. Henry's quill had finally stilled, as he said, "Okay, I'm ready. I'm at the part _….do your thing_ , Moms, just don't…" His face scrunched up.

"Don't _what,_ Kid?"

Henry's face looked like he smelled moldy cheese. "…don't be _too_ gross, okay? I mean, you are my moms, you know!" His face reddened. "Don't scar me, okay?"

Emma laughed.

She looked at Regina, meaningfully. "So, as I was saying, Regina Mills," she smiled. "You are the love of my life…"

Regina looked at her, feeling so nervious, she might projectile vomit. She looked around the room, nervously, and cleared her throat.

The room was quiet.

Granny's radio set buzzed, then squawked, "Central command, this is RedWolf. What the actual fuck is taking Regina so fucking long? Glacier's move faster!"

"Ruby, hush it!" Granny scolded, barking into the radio. "Central command, OVER AND OUT."

The room laughed, including Regina.

She looked back at the Savior, her eyes sure.

"And I love you, with my whole heart. Emma Swan, you are an idiot…and you are my one true love."

They grinned at each other, and leaned in for a kiss, the room breaking into applause and hoots and whistles.

Henry wrote furiously, finishing the page, finally shutting the book, smiling. "History is now rewritten!" He said to David, who smiled back.

However, as soon as Emma and Regina's lips parted, a deafening explosion was heard, nearly shattering their eardrums. The ground seemed to move, with tremors and aftershocks, causing everyone to be thrown to the floor, hard.

Granny barked into the radio. "Team SwanQueen! To your positions!" She looked at Emma grimly, before finishing the transmission. "It has begun. Prepare for battle….Godspeed."

 **TBC.**


	13. The Curse Giveith, The Curse Takeith

Disclaimers: Don't own OUAT, SWEN, ABC, or a car.

 **Chapter 13. The Curse Giveith, and Takeith**

"What the _hell_ was _that_?" David hollered. He stood up, and peered out of the bay windows.

Everyone's eardrums were ringing, slightly.

Grimacing, Regina surmised, "I think that's the sound of the curse breaking, Charming."

"That's loud."

"Well, it was a curse, after all."

"Hmm. Good point."

Regina struggled to stop rolling her eyes; after all, this man was here, without his true love, defending the Evil Queen, after all. A little civility wouldn't harm anyone, she thought. Regina looked at him with new eyes,grateful eyes, before sweeping equally grateful eyes to the citizens-turned-commandos that now inhabited her property.

The radio buzzed, and Granny immediately sat up, headphones on, writing furiously.

 _"-Holy fuck, there's 'bout a billion of 'em coming right for the house!"_  
 _"-Leroy, is it necessary to swear so much?"_  
 _"-Damn it, Sister Astrid...or fairy...or whatever the hell you are! YES!"_

Regina's eyebrows arched, and she looked at Head of Telecoms, Granny Lucas, with her headset on, chewing a toothpick and writing like crazy and looking completely in her element.

"Outpost 2," Granny barked out, "stand your ground! I'm sending RedFox your way for backup-"

Buzzing in was RedFox, _"-That would be a negatory, Granny! I'm getting ready to stave off my own shit show on the right flank. I'm wolfing out in 5 mikes."_

Regina sucked in a breath. "I assume that's Ms. Ruby, as well as Leroy with the eternally sunny Sister Astrid?"

Granny switched from tooth picks to a cigar. "Yep. But for Operation Quill, they're known as Outpost 1 and Outpost 2."

"What-why..." Regina stammered, in disbelief.

They should hate her.

Granny eyed the paralyzed brunette knowingly. "Madame Mayor. There are some of us enlightened enough to realize you love this town, and all of us peasants...er, citizens...in it. There are some of us who appreciate the gift of indoor plumbing."

David pulled out his long sword-his actual god damned sword-and holstered his rifle. With a satisified nod, he grinned. "And some of us believe in the power of a second chance. Even for Evil Queens." He looked at Granny. "I'm gonna go back up Outpost 2."

Granny nodded. "Best hurry. Leroy wasn't soundin' too good."

David hustled passed the stunned Regina Mills, looking at his daughter. "Em, make sure this door is locked, after I go, okay?"

"Roger that, Daddy-O."

"Thanks, Baby Girl."

As Emma immediately flipped the deadbolt behind him, she looked at Regina curiously. The Mayor shook her head, trying to wrap her head around this conundrum. These people should hate her...HATE her, and yet...

Here they were.

Defending her.

The radio crackled. _"-Okay Grans. I see the whites of their eyes."_

"Roger," Replied Granny. Flipping levers and pressing a complex series of buttons, she contacted Jefferson, planted on Regina's roof. "Okay, Crazy Man, launch code GO!"

 _"Roger that, Granny! And tell The Evil Queen I'm still pissed about my kids."_

Regina set her lips, grimly. Granny gave her the squint eye.

Granny radio'ed back, "Her Magesty says she's really really sorry, and she will pay for all of their educational expenses through the 12th grade, if that helps."

"Woah! That's really generous. Launching NOW!"

The whizzing overhead tore them out of their thoughts.

"what the hell is that?"

"Uh," Began Emma, tentatively. "Uh, Napalm, I think."

"NAPALM? Who the hell has napalm laying around?"

"Well, uh...lotsa people Leroy, Jeffereson...I think I have a can or two."

"Oh my god."

"Relax, Regina...its just an attention getter."

"Attention getter? Ms. Swan, that has real implications- people can get hurt, with that!"

Emma bit her lip, deciding the lectures on public safety from the woman who used to publicly flog people, prior to skinning them, was probaly not helpful in this moment. Besides, the rocks that came through the windows shattering the glass window panes into tiny shards seemed more important right now.

They could hear the rabble rousers around them and the chaos of a public riot. Frantic radio transmission of "we've been overrun!" came in, and then before they knew it, a heart stopping banging on the front door was heard with a "heave, HO!" behind each bang.

"-they're using a downed telephone pole as a battering ram!" Jefferson screamed. "I don't have any napalm left!"

"Throw the hot buckets at them!" Granny urged.

It did seem to slow them for a moment, but then the battering clanging resumed.

"Oh, for the love of Christ!" Regina mumbled, marching for the door with a determined air.

"Regina, wait!" Emma cried. "What are you doing?"

The Mayor looked over her shoulder. "What does it look like, Ms. Swan? I realize you've inherited your parent's idiot genetics...so I'll spell it out for you: I'm turning myself over!"

"To the mob?" Emma gasped. "What?"

"Because, Emma...I refuse to let the people I care about in this room get hurt anymore, because of me!"

"No, Regina!"

Lighting her cigar, Granny offered, "Although it makes me all warm n' fuzzy inside to know you love me, it kinda defeats the whole purpose of what we're doing here, your Majesty."

Regina grimaced, and as her hand rested on the doorknob, she paused.

The battering had stopped.

She waited...still, no more violent attacks on her front door came. Curiously, she looked at Emma, who shrugged, and walked next to her. Tentatively, they both opened the door, and looked.

Nothing.

 **No one.**

"What the hell?" Emma declared, stunned. She let go of Regina's hand, and walked out to the porch, looking around. Convinced that the danger was gone, she walked back in through the entryway, and shrugged, once again. "Beats the fuck outta me!"

"Eloquent as ever, Savior." Regina muttered, sliding her other hand into Emma's. "The question is, what happened, Sheriff?"

They heard Henry's quill slam down on the table, and the noise caused them both to turn and look at their son. He wore a large, self-Satisfied grin on his face.

"Your _happy ending,_ Mom. That's what happened. I finished writing it...just in time, by the sounds of things!"

They both walked over to him, and swept him up in the typical Swan-Mills we-just-saved-the-world- _again_ group hug.

"Oh, my little prince," hummed Regina. Looking at Emma, she paused. "I mean... _our_ little prince," she corrected herself. "You're really something."

"Proving once again, the pen is mightier than the sword." He grinned, hugging both his mothers tightly.

His blond mother ruffled his bangs. "Hey, Kid...so do we get a chance to read what you wrote?" Emma asked.

The matching, dual looks of horror at her proclaimation that were shot at her by both Mills' were almost comical.

"Of course not, Ma! That would spoil the surprise!"

Emma rolled her eyes. "This, from the kid that secretly unwraps his Christmas presents, then re-wraps them with surgical precision." she scoffed.

"Henry!" Regina gasped.

He shrugged, with a sheepish grin. "I've done it for years...please tell me Emma wasn't the only one to figure it out."

Biting her lip against saying some sarcastic comment regarding her less than honest past, Regina instead merely cupped her cheek and looked deeply into her eyes. "Yet another reason it might be good for me to keep the Savior around, yes?"

Emma gulped. "Uh...hi?"

Then she grinned, and stared back in the Mayor's adoring black eyes.

 **THE END.**


End file.
